Residents' knowledge and comfort with caring for children with autism spectrum disorder

摘要

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelop-mental disorder characterized by impairment in social communication and restricted, repetitive behavior. The prevalence of ASD was estimated at 1 in 50 in 2011-2012, almost double that in 2007.2 Children with ASD have high rates of medical service utilization.3 At the same time, multiple studies demonstrate low self-perceived competency by physicians in caring for children with ASD. Given the increasing prevalence, it is critical that physician training includes how to care for patients with ASD. Understanding residents' baseline knowledge of ASD could help inform appropriate training initiatives. Yet, to date, no studies exist evaluating residents' self-perceived competency in caring for children with ASD. Therefore, we evaluated a cohort of pediatric residents' knowledge of and comfort with caring for children with ASD.