TBT | 46. Autism in the Black American Community, with Maria Davis-Pierre

*THROWBACK EPISODE* This conversation with Maria Davis-Pierre was originally released on February 4, 2021. We are re-releasing it today in honor of Black History Month to highlight the unique experiences of Black families with autistic loved ones.  ----more---- Discover what’s possible when you start to examine your own biases.  Maria Davis-Pierre is a mother to an 8-year-old girl on the autism spectrum, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, and the Founder and CEO of Autism in Black Inc., an organization dedicated to raising autism awareness and reducing the stigma within the Black community. Maria is also a coach, speaker, advocate, and author. She has been featured in Forbes, the New York Times, and Counseling Today, and her book The Self-Care Affirmation Journal was published in 2018.  In today’s conversation, we discuss:  The challenges Maria faced when receiving her daughter’s diagnosis Why Maria started Autism in Black How Parent-Child Interaction Therapy can benefit families who are dealing with behavioral challenges How religion, misunderstanding of autism, and distrust of the health care system contribute to misdiagnosis The lack of research on autism in the Black community and why this problem leads to culturally-insensitive assessments and treatment plans Maria's experiences as a Black parent, including dealing with stress and being judged according to stereotypes For more information about Maria Davis-Pierre, please visit autisminblack.org and follow her on Instagram @autisminblack.  ----more---- Resources: Racialized Emotion Recognition Accuracy and Anger Bias of Children’s Faces  ----more---- Related Episodes: 17. Growth, Diversity, and Cultural Humility, with Brandy Collins and Crystal Thompson  43. Social Media and Intersectional Advocacy, with Tiffany Hammond  ----more---- We appreciate your time. If you enjoy this podcast and you’d like to support our mission, please take just a few seconds to share it with one person who you think will find value in it too.  Follow us on Instagram: @autismpodcast Join our community on Mighty Networks: Global Autism Community Subscribe to our YouTube channel: Global Autism Project We would love to hear your feedback about the show. Please fill out this short survey to let us know your thoughts: Listener Survey