Examining Caregivers' Knowledge, Empathy and Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder
Location
Guzman Lecture Hall, Dominican University of California
Start Date
4-20-2017 12:30 PM
End Date
4-20-2017 1:30 PM
Student Type
Undergraduate
Faculty Mentor(s)
Maggie Benedict-Montgomery, Ph.D.
Presentation Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Description
Over the last ten years diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has seen an increase of 0.4%. Currently 1 in 68 children are diagnosed (Center for Disease Control, 2012), and numbers are continuing to rise, partly due to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders’ changing criteria. Furthermore, in the United States the medical care and special education demands of ASD cost $11.5 billion - $60.9 billion/year making it expensive for the economy and patients' families (Center for Disease Control, 2011). Given the overwhelming prevalence and cost, it is essential that children with ASD receive effective treatment. Previous studies have found that knowledge and empathy are linked to healthcare success (Post et. al, 2014). The current study examines caregivers' knowledge, empathy and interventions for ASD. Approximately 75 graduate students and professionals in occupational therapy, special education, and counseling psychology will be recruited to participate in an online survey. Current students will be recruited from a small liberal arts university, and professionals will be recruited through targeted online sampling in the same community. Participants will complete the Knowledge about Childhood Autism among Health Workers questionnaire (Bakare, Ebigbo, Agomo & Menkiti, 2008), the Basic Empathy Scale (Jolliffe & Farrington, 2006), and the Early Intervention Practices Scale (Paynter & Keen, 2015) which respectively measure knowledge of childhood autism, empathy, and knowledge and use of evidence-based interventions for ASD. Constructed with prior research in mind, we hypothesize that there will be a positive relationship between knowledge of ASD, empathic traits, and use of evidence-based intervention practices. Additionally, we expect that participants’ age and experience will be positively related to the use of evidence-based interventions. Findings will enhance our understanding of caregivers’ knowledge, empathy, and use of evidence-based treatments in work with those on the autism spectrum.
Examining Caregivers' Knowledge, Empathy and Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder
Guzman Lecture Hall, Dominican University of California
Over the last ten years diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has seen an increase of 0.4%. Currently 1 in 68 children are diagnosed (Center for Disease Control, 2012), and numbers are continuing to rise, partly due to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders’ changing criteria. Furthermore, in the United States the medical care and special education demands of ASD cost $11.5 billion - $60.9 billion/year making it expensive for the economy and patients' families (Center for Disease Control, 2011). Given the overwhelming prevalence and cost, it is essential that children with ASD receive effective treatment. Previous studies have found that knowledge and empathy are linked to healthcare success (Post et. al, 2014). The current study examines caregivers' knowledge, empathy and interventions for ASD. Approximately 75 graduate students and professionals in occupational therapy, special education, and counseling psychology will be recruited to participate in an online survey. Current students will be recruited from a small liberal arts university, and professionals will be recruited through targeted online sampling in the same community. Participants will complete the Knowledge about Childhood Autism among Health Workers questionnaire (Bakare, Ebigbo, Agomo & Menkiti, 2008), the Basic Empathy Scale (Jolliffe & Farrington, 2006), and the Early Intervention Practices Scale (Paynter & Keen, 2015) which respectively measure knowledge of childhood autism, empathy, and knowledge and use of evidence-based interventions for ASD. Constructed with prior research in mind, we hypothesize that there will be a positive relationship between knowledge of ASD, empathic traits, and use of evidence-based intervention practices. Additionally, we expect that participants’ age and experience will be positively related to the use of evidence-based interventions. Findings will enhance our understanding of caregivers’ knowledge, empathy, and use of evidence-based treatments in work with those on the autism spectrum.