Roseann Schaaf, Lady Rios-Vega (PIs), J. Matthew Fields, Kristin Rising (Co-I’s)

Funded by: The Patient-centered Outcome Research Institute (PCORI)

This project is designed to improve the cultural humility of Occupational Therapy using Ayres Sensory Integration® for Hispanic and Latino families of autistic children. We use PCORI’s Stakeholder Engagement Principals to engage a diverse group of stakeholders to provide input on how to improve access to and utilization of therapy services, specifically Occupational Therapy using Ayres Sensory Integration^®.

Racial and ethnic minorities with autistic children often experience delays in access to therapy services that can result in poor outcomes, decreased quality of life, and increased parental and financial stress. Many autism interventions were developed and tested with only White participants with the assumption that they could be transferable to minority populations. However, research has found that this is not the case and that interventions that are not sensitive or adapted to an individual’s culture and ethnicity do not work as well and are not used as frequently. Diverse stakeholder voices are needed to assure interventions are culturally sensitive and appropriate. In this project, we compare two stakeholder engagement methods, Design Thinking (DT) and Focus Groups (FG), to determine which is better for obtaining input on the facilitators and barriers to accessing and using therapy for children. The data collected will be used to culturally adapt the Occupational Therapy using Ayres Sensory Integration® intervention to assure it is culturally sensitive for the Hispanic and Latino population. The project is guided by advisory boards supporting the research team throughout the project and its dissemination. The boards include Hispanic and Latino autistic individuals, parents and caregivers, occupational therapists, teachers, autism experts, and cultural experts. By taking a humble approach, we hope to improve access to evidence-based interventions, reduce health disparities, and improve the relationship between therapists and culturally diverse clients.