Historically marginalized families face many barriers related to disability resources and education. These disparities have significant implications for autistic youth and their families. In this webcast, attendees will learn about the barriers that Black autistic youth face, the historical and systemic factors that contribute to them, and the short and long-term implications of these disparities. 

Objectives

Following the webcast, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the disparities in autism diagnoses and access to services that exist among Black autistic youth 
2. Describe historic and systemic barriers that maintain these disparities
3. Describe the short-term and long-term implications of these disparities on Black autistic youth and their families

Bio

Dr. Jamie Pearson, a former behavioral interventionist and autism program consultant, is an Assistant Professor of Special Education in the Department of Teacher Education and Learning Sciences at North Carolina State University. Dr. Pearson earned her Ph.D. in Special Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she developed FACES, a parent advocacy program designed to support Black families of children with autism. Her research interests include: (a) disparities in autism identification, service access, and service utilization, (b) the impact of parent-advocacy and empowerment training on child and family outcomes, and (c) strategies to promote effective partnerships between educators and historically marginalized communities.