New project to shed light on health inequity in B.C. Indigenous communities – SFU

February 06, 2018

A new study lead by SFU psychology professor Grace Iarocci, Autism and Aboriginal families: Bridging the cultural gap through collective dialogue, aims at beginning a dialogue with Aboriginal communities about their experiences with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Co-led with Romona Baxter of the Nzen’man’ Child and Family Development Centre in Merritt, BC, the project has earned a 2018 Convening & Collaborating award from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research.

While rates of ASD among Aboriginal children in Canada are unknown, data from the US and Australia shows the disorder is “significantly-underdiagnosed among Aboriginal populations” and the BC Ministry of Children and Family Development suggests that ASD is as prevalent among Aboriginal children as it is among non-Aboriginal children in BC

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