Autism in Immigrant Children
Mariame Boujlil, who came to Charlotte, NC, from Morocco, 11 years ago, founded the World Alliance for Families and Children to raise awareness about autism among immigrants and provide support to families. Boujlil’s son Zachary is autistic. “”Moms who don’t speak English often don’t know how to advocate for their child,……Now that I know the shortcuts, I want to share them with others,’” said Bouglil in an article in today’s Charlotte Observer.
Autism experts say it’s common for children of immigrants to be diagnosed late because of the language barrier, a lack of awareness among parents and the fact that many immigrant children are exposed to more than one language.
A mother who is from the Dominican Republic and whose son has autism also told me that she knows of many Latino families who do not contact public agencies like the Department of Developmental Disabilities about their children because the parents are illegal immigrants and do not want government agencies to know about their status.
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POSTED IN: Diagnosis, Family, Race & Ethnicity
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