Article 1: Let’s Make a Difference!
Part 1 in a 4 series
April is National Autism Awareness Month and let’s make a difference in our community. This is the first article of a 4-part series in honor of National Autism Awareness Month brought to you by VFAAB (Vietnamese Family Autism Awareness Board) and HopeCentral Pediatrics and Behavioral Health (HopeCentral). This first article provides education about Autism and the importance of seeking an early Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis. Research shows that children of foreign-born Vietnamese mothers are older at time of an Autism diagnosis and we have seen this anecdotally in our clinic as well. We hope this campaign will help encourage Vietnamese families to seek an earlier diagnosis so their children will receive the critical early interventions that lead to improved functional outcomes in ASD.
HopeCentral believes that health extends far beyond the walls of our clinic, and by investing in community work through VFAAB’s Autism Awareness campaign, we desire to cultivate a community where Vietnamese families come together to help families who have children with autism. In the Vietnamese community, autism is often a hidden problem. People often hide their children because of their difficult behaviors and unusual ways of speaking. We want to emphasize that children with Autism have special strengths and make significant contributions to their community and society. As a result, we hope the Vietnamese community in King County will come together to offer a more encouraging acceptance and support for families who have children with ASD.
First a little background about HopeCentral and VFAAB. HopeCentral is an independent, non-profit pediatric and behavioral health clinic located in Southeast Seattle. We strive to provide a welcoming pediatric practice responsive to community needs and focused on delivering excellent care to our linguistically and economically diverse community.
The culture of American medicine does not easily translate into a welcoming, culturally responsive clinic. To ameliorate this, HopeCentral has undertaken multiple projects to engage with local ethnic community groups to learn how to make our services more accessible and culturally informed. One outreach that began in 2017 has developed into establishing VFAAB. It began as a volunteer group of families with children with disabilities, passionate community members, and medical and support service professionals working to support families of children with developmental delay in the Vietnamese community. VFAAB works with Vietnamese families in King County and surrounding counties. VFAAB seeks to be a free resource to families, assisting people to connect to therapeutic and support services across the care system and educating the community about Autism and developmental delay. The goal of the coalition is to strengthen the community and the medical/educational system to promote an environment where families and children of all abilities are treasured and thriving. VFAAB strives to be a dedicated inclusive group that Vietnamese families can turn to in moments of need and be immediately connected.
In 2018, HopeCentral submitted two grants on behalf of the Vietnamese community and we were awarded both grants from Best Starts for Kids (BSK), King County. This was of great significance for the Vietnamese community because this is the first time that the Vietnamese community has been specifically recognized and prioritized for funding in King County. These funds are being used to help improve the lives of Vietnamese children and families. They fund endeavors aimed at improving cultural awareness in the medical and educational support system for Vietnamese speaking families. HopeCentral and VFAAB are proud to be the recipient of these BSK grants and realize the importance of the Vietnamese community’s voice revealed in this work.
The journey is a long road as we work to educate the Vietnamese community here in King County about Autism. This Autism awareness campaign is one way to teach our community.
Here is a preview to the Autism teaching:
What is Autism?
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a broad range of deficits in social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication.
Signs of Autism
Signs of Autism usually appear by age 2 or 3. Some associated developmental delays can appear even earlier, and often, it can be diagnosed as early as 18 months.
A Few Autism Warning Signs to Look for:
Social differences: Doesn’t keep eye contact or makes very little eye contact; Unable to make friends or uninterested in making friends
Communication differences: Doesn’t say single words by 16 months; Doesn’t respond to name being called but does respond to other sounds
Behavioral differences: Rocks, spins, sways, twirls fingers or flaps hands
Why is Autism relevant?
According to the Centers for Disease Control, Autism affects an estimated 1 in 54 children in the United States today. There are many subtypes in Autism and it is a spectrum disorder that is influenced by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Each person with Autism has a distinct set of strengths and challenges which range from highly skilled to severely challenged. According to Dr. T.K. Brasted, HopeCentral’s behavioral health director and psychologist, “We still have a lot to learn about what causes Autism.” We hope this series of articles will begin to give you a better understanding about Autism.