A STUDY TO DETERMINE THE IMPACT OF SHORT AWARENESS MODULE ON THE KNOWLEDGE REGARDING AUTISM AMONG PARENTS OF CHILDREN FIVE YEARS AND YOUNGER
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Keywords
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Parental Awareness, Informative Session, Knowledge Assessment, Early Intervention
Abstract
Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) presents significant challenges in social communication and behaviour impacting individuals globally. Despite its increasing prevalence, awareness among parents remains crucial for early identification and intervention.
Aim: This study aims to evaluate the impact of an awareness session on the knowledge of parents with children aged five or younger regarding ASD. It seeks to assess existing knowledge gaps and analyze the changes in parental understanding post-informative sessions.
Methods: A cross-sectional study involved 200 caregivers of children aged 2 to 5 years. Participants completed a pre-session questionnaire covering various domains of ASD knowledge. Subsequently, an autism awareness session was delivered by an experienced psychiatrist. Post-session, the same questionnaire was administered to assess changes in knowledge. A comparison between pre- and post-session data was conducted using the chi-square test.
Results: Sociodemographic analysis revealed predominant female participation, parental higher education qualification, and male predominance among children. Social media emerged as a primary source of ASD information. Post-session assessments demonstrated significant improvements (p<0.05) in parental knowledge across symptoms, behaviours, treatment, outcomes, and prognosis, highlighting the session's effectiveness.
Conclusion: This study emphasizes the vital role of parental awareness programs for autism, which can lead to a marked improvement in their knowledge of the condition. Recommendations include refining the assessment questionnaire and increasing awareness programs & video-based sessions for better impact.
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Dr. Dhwani Parikh
Third-year postgraduate resident, GCS Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Dr. Alpesh Gediya
Professor, Department of Psychiatry GCS medical college, hospital and research Centre, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Dr. Aalapi Prajapati
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, GCS medical college, hospital and research Centre, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Dr. Aatman Parikh
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, GCS medical college, hospital and research Centre, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Miss Urva Mehta
First-year MBBS student, GCS Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Dr. Priyanka Shah
Third-year postgraduate resident, GCS Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.