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Latin american mother playing with her small dark skinned hispanic daughter outdoor, in summer time. Bright blurred background.

Hispanic & Latino Autism Project

Program Contact

Lady Rios-Vega OTD, OTR/L, CASI
  • Co-Principal Investigator
  • Research Associate, Jefferson Autism Center of Excellence
  • Adjunct Faculty, Department of Occupational Therapy

Project Updates

Fall 2025

We held our fourth and final round of in-person engagement sessions in September 2025: eight focus groups and eight Design Thinking sessions in Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Delaware. Part One of this project is complete! Recruitment is now closed.

Now we begin Part Two, which is reviewing the feedback collected from participants in the sessions to learn how to best culturally adapt the Ayres Sensory Integration® occupational therapy manual.

After the cultural adaptations have been made, all participants who attended an in-person session will receive an email to review the adapted manual and give feedback to complete the second portion of this study. This process may take about six months.

Spring 2025

We hosted our third round of in-person engagement sessions on May 13th and May 15th, 2025. Sessions were held in Audubon, NJ, Philadelphia, PA and Wilmington, DE.

There has been 12 completed sessions, with 4 sessions remaining. Our final in-person sessions will be held at the end of summer 2025.

We are still looking to connect with Hispanic/Latino autistic adults, Hispanic/Latino parents with autistic children (any age children), and occupational therapists and teachers that work with these families..

Fall 2024

This study is now actively enrolling participants and will begin hosting focus groups and design thinking sessions throughout Philadelphia, New Jersey and Delaware.

We want to learn from your experiences accessing and using therapy services for Hispanic and Latino autistic children. We are looking for parents and caregivers of Hispanic and Latino autistic children, Hispanic and Latino autistic adults, and teachers and occupational therapists who work with Hispanic and Latino autistic children and their families.

Participants will be paid.

If you are interested in participating, schedule a phone screening with one of our team members to determine if you are eligible.

Summer 2024

In May 2024, the research team conducted practice sessions for the two engagement sessions that will be tested in our project: focus groups and design thinking.

Participants in the practice Design Thinking session brainstormed solutions.

Our sessions were highly successful thanks to the participation of a diverse group of community members. Autistic individuals, parents and caregivers of autistic children, occupational therapists, and teachers. We also had collaborators from Nemours, Widener University, Jefferson’s Occupational Therapy Department, and Sidney Kimmel Medical College.  

Participants in the Focus Group responded to prompts about their therapy experiences.

We’re excited to share that our recent sessions were successful! The sessions effectively covered the planned procedures for both focus group and design thinking sessions, including the protocols for each, group dynamics, and activity timing. Additionally, the sessions successfully tested interpretation services, which are unique to this project and essential for including minoritized non-English speaking communities.

Participants also had valuable opportunities to provide feedback on the study and the sessions, which fostered a collaborative environment and contributed to trust building among the diverse groups. Overall, the event set a strong foundation for ongoing engagement and inclusive practices.

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