During Autism Acceptance Month, advocates are calling for change as women from migrant backgrounds are more likely to receive delayed autism diagnosis, making treatment more difficult.
Khadija Gbla first found out they had autism and ADHD at the age of 34 after their five-year-old son, Sammy, was diagnosed with both conditions."That afternoon I was lying down and thought to myself, 'If Sammy is like me, am I like Sammy?'" Khadija said.Noticing similarities between their behaviours prompted Khadija to get tested.
"Where are all the black autistic people, where are the Asian autistic people, where are all the non-white autistic people? I don't know where we are all hiding," they said.Khadija was born in Sierra Leone and arrived in Australia as a refugee with their family at 13. "My mum says she wishes I was dead. I've been prayed for by an Imam, a pastor, a priest … I still am autistic, proudly, autistic."on autism diagnosis found parents with CALD backgrounds, and those born overseas, reported concerns about their children later than the average parent, resulting in delays in treatment.
Khadija's attention deficit hyperactivity disorder diagnosis was easier to identify given they presented with common symptoms, but their doctor was originally sceptical of autism as they didn't have the traditional behavioural traits. Professor Eapen said CALD children would benefit from being tested earlier "especially in the preschool years when the brain plasticity is maximum".
She said some parents from multicultural and lower socio-economic backgrounds struggled when assessments were done in English. Much of the early research on autism excluded women and girls from study populations, and studies examining the validity of diagnostic tools often only used primarily male samples, she said.
"They are not an abomination. They are not curse. They don't need some cure. We're not a disease," they said.Is YIMBYism the answer to Australia's housing affordability woes?
Autism Diagnosis Multicultural Migrant Women ADHD Spectrum Disabilities Women With Disabilities Autistic Women ASD Autism Spectrum Disorder NDIS Khadija Gbla
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