Background: In Canada, immigrant and refugee parents of neurodivergent children born or growing up with neuro-developmental conditions face the difficult task of navigating an interconnected pathway of barriers and facilitators. Immigrant parent-caregivers must often assertively take the initiative to secure resources for the safety and well-being of their neurodiverse children.

Aims: This scoping review investigated the lived experiences of immigrant parents of neurodivergent children as they attempted to access mainstream support across Canada.

Method: This exploratory literature review in the Canadian context was methodologically informed by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Extension for Scoping Reviews (ScR).

Results: This scoping review includes 21 peer-reviewed academic research articles, with data extracted from each article including details on study demographics, objectives, and results, using a three-step coding process. Four major themes were collectively identified as key areas of focus across the 21 articles: a) navigation, b) communication, c) resources, and d) well-being, and 21 minor themes were sorted into (10) barriers and (11) facilitators.

Conclusions: The divisive and inequitable barriers faced by immigrant parents versus non-immigrant parents across Canada still share commonalities, suggesting an intellectually neuro-ableist society. The qualitative inquiries into the lived experiences of ethnoculturally diverse immigrant parent-caregivers promote strengths-based language and positive coping for a healthier family quality of life for neurodivergent children.

Implications for children and families: The strategies highlighted in this review may improve the responsivity between service providers and immigrant parent-caregivers when discussing your concerns and communicating your needs.

Implications for practitioners: This report encourages social services organisations across Edmonton to prioritise creating and implementing neurodivergence guidelines that contain wraparound accommodations to accessible and relevant resources for immigrant and refugee parent-caregivers of neurodivergent children. Strengthening measures for privacy, consent, and personal boundaries would benefit your practice by improving intercultural and interfaith cooperation.

Funding: This project is funded by a City of Edmonton Community Safety and Well-being Grant.

Key words: children’s voices: neurodivergent children, well-being; families’ voices: immigrant and refugee parents, family quality of life, ethnocultural diversity, coping, vulnerability, resilience; professionals’ voices: service providers, education, cooperation; communication: barriers and facilitators, guidelines; community services: mainstream support, resources, cooperation, wraparound accommodations; government: Government of Alberta, Canada-wide strategies, policy; interdisciplinary audience, qualitative methods: scoping review, thematic analysis; regional/rural communities

This presentation relates to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:

• • SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
  • SDG 4: Quality Education
  • SDG 5: Gender Equality
  • SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
  • SDG 11: Sustainable Cities
  • SDG 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions