Funding outcome

Over 1 in 50 children are diagnosed with autism in Canada. Autism is a developmental condition that affects the behaviour and communication of children. First Nations children and families looking into an autism diagnosis face unique challenges. Many have to leave their communities to get a diagnosis. This can hurt their connection with local healthcare providers and make it harder to get culturally informed care. There is a need to understand how children's healthcare can be improved to address different cultures. This project will study how autism is diagnosed and find ways to improve the autism diagnosis experience for First Nations children. It will look at the views of First Nations families and children going through the autism diagnosis process.  This research project aims to look into the current state of knowledge and experiences of First Nations children and healthcare workers who diagnose autism in First Nations children. Using qualitative methods, interviews with participants will be carried out, transcribed, and studied. We will also review current literature for autism prevalance in First Nations children. This will help identify potential biases and trends in the autism diagnosis process. We will use a community based approach to identify gaps in clinical judgement and tests. Our research will build on past studies about the experiences of the healthcare professionals who make autism diagnoses in children. This research project will collect qualitative data about the views of children and families who help make autism diagnoses. By combining the results of this project with previous research, we aim to help create a training program to improve healthcare for children with autism based on Indigenous knowledge. The goal is to address an important gap in children's health, and ultimately help First Nations children seeking autism diagnosis services have a better experience.