1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The general goal of the present article is to document the advocacy experience [of] immigrant parents of children with ASD [autism spectrum disorder] during the early childhood period, from the first suspicions of a developmental delay to school entry.» (p. 3)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«This study is an in-depth secondary analysis of data collected in a study centred on the trajectory through services for immigrant parents of children with ASD. […] First-generation immigrant families residing in an urban area of Quebec participated in the original study […]. Participant families were recruited through two rehabilitation centers servicing persons with Intellectual Disability and ASD in a major city and an adjoining suburb. […] Of the 24 families in the original study, 13 (54%) spontaneously shared advocacy experiences, for a total of 63 [respondents]. All immigrant parents were born outside Canada and had been in the country for 7.8 years, on average. The mean age of their children was 3 years and 10 months at the first interview.» (p. 3)

Instruments :
Guide d’entretien semi-directif

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse de contenu

3. Résumé

«The advocacy experiences of immigrant parents of young children with ASD reported here suggest some recommendations to policymakers, professionals, and other community actors working with this population. First and foremost, the whole family’s service trajectory should be taken into consideration when designing policies, as these policies might have a domino effect. This integrated approach to policy-making based on research should also be oriented to improve services, reduce waiting times, better train professionals and establish widespread and fair representation of families in decision-making bodies […]. Second, not all families achieve satisfying partnerships with professionals and the community. Specifically, some parents have a tough time having their views taken into account throughout the different stages of their trajectory through services. A respectful, unbiased, equal, two-way communication is the basis for a trusting partnership […]. Third, there is a need to know more about immigrant parents’ advocacy in general, and not only in relation to ASD, as [the] results do not show many specificities related to it. The advocacy of parents of young children needs to be explored and documented more as it can tell us a lot about what does not work in early education systems. It could also contribute to bringing parents’ voices to the forefront and facilitating transition to school for children with disabilities […].» (p. 12)