ERIC Number: EJ1458552
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Feb
Pages: 27
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1056-263X
EISSN: EISSN-1573-3580
Microlearning as a Concept to Optimize Integrated Services for Racially/Ethnically Diverse Families of Autistic Children
Yue Xu; Zhiwen Xiao; Sandra Vanegas
Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, v37 n1 p157-183 2025
Children on the spectrum often require both formal services and natural unpaid support from caregivers. Recent autism surveillance study in the US has reported an increase in racially/ethnically diverse autistic children (Maenner et al. in MMWR Surveillance Summaries 72(2):1, 2023). Standing at the intersection of race, disability and sometimes immigration status, racially/ethnically diverse autistic children and their caregivers face a plethora of barriers in accessing services and support. The time and effort devoted to learning this knowledge and managing services and support is significant (Brewer in Social Science & Medicine 215:61-68, 2018). As a result, families with low resources often struggle to maintain attendance once recruited to participate in parent training interventions (Carr et al. in Autism 20(6):643-652, 2016; Kasari et al. in Pediatrics, 134(1):e72-e79, 2014). Furthermore, these structural challenges can lead to elevated caregiver stress (DeLambo et al. in Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities 23:129-141, 2011; Martinez & Turnage in Issues in Mental Health Nursing 43(11):1030-1040, 2022), which in turn impacts their ability to learn new strategies and manage services (Marin et al. in Neurobiology of Learning and Memory 96(4):583-595, 2011). In the current paper we propose the adoption of using microlearning concept to breakdown culturally responsive interventions into bite-sized chunks to reach caregivers juggling with caregiving and other structural challenges. We present the process of adapting Parents Taking Action, a community-based culturally appropriate intervention targeting racially/ethnically diverse families of young autistic children, using the microlearning approach. We further discuss how the microlearning concept can be applied and its limitations.
Descriptors: Autism Spectrum Disorders, Students with Disabilities, Parents, Multi Tiered Systems of Support, Student Diversity, Racial Discrimination, Ethnic Groups, Social Bias, Barriers, Parent Education, Financial Problems, Minicourses, Culturally Relevant Education, Community Education
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) (DHHS/ACL)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: 90IFST0080101