Clinical and School Identification and Intervention for Youth with ASD: Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Interdisciplinary Considerations

Despite dramatic demographic changes over the past five decades specifically, culturally and lingustically diverse (CLD) children are more likely to receive delayed diagnosis and misidentification of ASD as well as experience significant barriers to obtaining ASD services in general. Delays in ASD identification or intervention provision can negatively impact future outcomes and may indicate that professionals are missing important cultural or linguistic considerations when providing services to CLD children and families. Strong interdisciplinary care practices can improve the outcomes of CLD children and their families with ASD. This chapter presents the challenges and successes to the facilitation of interdisciplinary care among CLD children. As services for ASD most often occur in clinical and school-based settings, the chapter will focus on both settings. Recommendations for culturally and linguistically responsive interdisciplinary care for children with ASD are provided.