Hispanic families form group to cope with autism

Hispanic families form group to help cope with autism
By Dalina Castellanos, Tri-City Herald

KENNEWICK -- Lizette Romero stood quietly by her mother's side pulling crayons out of their box to color with.

After pausing a couple of times to stare blankly at different spots on the wall, the 6-year-old continued to focus on the paper, almost making a rainbow if not for the large gaps between the swatches of color.

"My biggest frustration is that she still doesn't talk," said her mother, Magdalena, in Spanish.

Lizette was diagnosed with autism when she was 18 months old and the family was living in Fontana, Calif. Upon hearing of her daughter's diagnosis, Romero said she was lost.

"I had never even heard the word before that day."

Her feeling of despair returned when the family of seven moved to Kennewick two years ago and the bilingual services offered in California suddenly were gone.

"I would ask different people for help and I couldn't find anywhere to turn to," she said.

Enter the Hispanic Autism Support Group.

When Yadira Galvan, the group's president, found out her three children had some form of autism, she too began looking for the next steps and noticed a cultural gap.

"It was difficult for me to find services," she said. "And I speak (English)."

The next obvious step for her was to get involved, becoming the Hispanic outreach coordinator for the Autism Society of Washington's Tri-City chapter and joining an advisory board for the Combating Autism Advisory Council.

"I was the only Latina on the board," observed Galvan.

And she isn't the only one who's noticed the lack of diverse representation.

"The cultural barrier is incredible," said Terry Buck, a case manager for the Division of Developmental Disabilities in the Tri-Cities.

He has hundreds of clients from various ethnic backgrounds, an estimated 60-80 of which are Hispanic.

"There are countless that I haven't contacted, who haven't contacted me or that I don't even know about," he said.

Asking for help is not easy, and Galvan said the Hispanic community has an especially hard time coming to terms with the disorder.

"People are ashamed that their child has something that's (not perceived as) normal" and they might be more hesitant to look for assistance.

When families do step up, there still are obstacles in getting them the resources they need.

"Unfortunately all the resources aren't what they should be for people who speak any language," said Tricia Schouviller, president of the Tri-City chapter of the Autism Society of Washington.

"Autism is on the rise," she said. And the lack of resources "goes across the entire board."

Hispanic families, however, require a bit different approach when it comes to receiving assistance.

"It's been our experience that Hispanic families like to do more things in a group setting rather than one on one," said Paul Reynolds, regional administrator of DDD, based out of Yakima.

"I think it makes them more comfortable and they get the feeling they're not alone."

And that's exactly how Romero hopes to feel.

In California, she said she was ostracized by the people in her church, who said Lizette was possessed.

"It struck me with a lot of fear (about the disorder)," she said.

She ran her fingers through Lizette's thick chocolate-colored hair as her daughter continued to color.

"I just want the opportunity to understand her better," she said, her eyes welling up with tears. "And that's why I came here."

For more information about the Hispanic Autism Support Group, call 619-0435 or visit www.autismresourcecenter.net.

The group gathers at 6:30 p.m. the first and third Friday of every month.

-- Dalina Castellanos: 509-582-1542; dcastellanos@tricityherald.com