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Undocumented Mexican mothers of children with autism: navigating the health care and educational service systems

In the field of education and health care, researchers and educators attempt to close the diagnosis/identification and service gaps that persist for low-resourced, underrepresented families with children with autism. One group of families particularly difficult to engage in research and interventions is undocumented immigrant families. We know little about whether these families are obtaining a timely diagnosis or services for their children with autism. This study addresses how undocumented Mexican immigrant mothers of children with autism navigate the special education and health care systems, challenges they face in doing so, and the helpers who assist in navigating the process. Six undocumented Mexican immigrant mothers of children with autism participated in one-on-one interviews. Participants were interviewed in a semi-structured format and transcription, coding, and final analysis were conducted in Spanish using analytic software. Three broad themes emerged during the content analysis process: (1) immigration driving force and experience, (2) autism-specific challenges, and (3) autism-specific helpers. Additionally, a case study of each participant is presented and discussed.