Objective:
The current study assesses the impact of an educational program designed to train primary care clinicians (PCCs) to diagnose children between age 18 and 36 months at high risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Methods:
Two cohorts of PCCs completed an 8-session training over a 9-month period. Clinicians were surveyed at baseline and 3 months after training completion. Information was collected regarding PCCs knowledge of ASD, their diagnostic beliefs, and perceived comfort and competence regarding all aspects of an ASD diagnostic evaluation.
Results:
A total of 35 participants completed training, and 29 (82%) completed presurvey and postsurvey. At baseline, 89% of PCCs reported no additional training in developmental behavioral pediatrics or diagnosing children with ASD, although 31% had diagnosed a child with ASD in the past year. After training, PCCs reported significantly greater comfort diagnosing ASD in children between age 18 and 36 months with mild ASD (2.31 vs 3.02, p