Rural and Racial/Ethnic Differences in Children Receiving Early Intervention Services

Abstract

A review of the literature shows that racial and ethnic minority children (eg, African American, Asian, and Hispanic) received diagnoses for developmental concerns later in life compared with their age-matched white counterparts. Research has also documented disparities in access to and receipt of health care services among children with developmental concerns as compared with children with other disabilities. Objectives: We examined health care providers' (HCPs') responses to parents' developmental concerns about their children. We looked at the association with race, ethnicity, gender, rurality, and time to diagnosis. Methods: All data were secondary and derived from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Survey of Pathways to Diagnosis and Services. Participants consisted of 1321 parents of children who had received early intervention services as reported by respondents' data collected in 2011. Results: From a nationally representative sample of families receiving early intervention services, 76% were white, 10% were African American, 3% were Asian, 5% were Native American, and 9% were Hispanic. Families who were Hispanic were more likely to have received only a delaying response from HCPs. The average time to a developmental delay diagnosis was 5 months longer for families who received a delaying HCP response. Conclusions: Families who were Hispanic or who were from rural areas were most likely to receive a delayed HCP response; for parents who received a delayed HCP response, a developmental delay diagnosis took 5 months longer than for families from the other groups listed.

Predictors of Access to Early Support in Families of Children with Suspected or Diagnosed Developmental Disabilities in the United Kingdom

“…The wider social context may also account for ethnicity disparities, such as structural racism, discrimination, and marginalization, which contribute to barriers of access experienced by people who belong to ethnic minority groups (de Leeuw et al, 2020 ; Čolić et al, 2021 ). A lack of culturally appropriate support may also account for these findings, as previous research highlights the importance of culturally appropriate support (Barnard-Brak et al, 2021 ; Čolić et al, 2021 ; Sapiets et al, 2021 ).…”

Association between type 2 inflammatory diseases and neurodevelopmental disorders in low-birth-weight children and adolescents

“…ASD, on the other hand, is a disorder with a higher prevalence in younger children, with a median first diagnosis of 5–6 years of age (Jo et al, 2015 ). In terms of race/ethnicity stratification, black and Hispanic children were less likely to receive joint monitoring and screening than white children (Barnard-Brak et al, 2021 ). This resulted in the fact that non-white children with developmental disorders were often identified later than white children and therefore missed opportunities for early intervention.…”

Diagnostic error in mental health: a review

“…Later diagnosis of ASD has also been associated with female gender,78 79 lower family education and socioeconomic status,76 77 79 80 less reliable access to healthcare,65 66 history of adverse childhood experiences81 and prior diagnosis of ADHD 82. Racial and ethnic disparities in the diagnosis of ASD have been documented,83 84 although findings are inconsistent across studies 85 86…”