The knowledge of physicians regarding autism spectrum disorder (ASD) across Ontario: a mixed methods study

Abstract

The current study is a manuscript-based thesis, divided into 2 journal articles. The first article examines the facilitators and barriers to recruiting physicians for psychological research and is a reflexive article written from the author’s personal perspective. Physicians have been a hard population to recruit for research purposes over the years and the article provides insight into recruitment methods from a unique perspective. The second article investigates the knowledge of Ontario physicians regarding autism spectrum disorder (ASD), employing a mixed methods approach. ASD is a complex disorder and is rising in prevalence. Physicians are said to be one of the first to come into contact with an individual with ASD and need to be able to recognize or identify signs and symptoms of the disorder. Previous research highlights that physicians may not feel competent in diagnosing and treating ASD because of their lack of knowledge and training. Physicians completed questionnaires and participated in semi-structured interviews. Analysis of quantitative data included t-tests and ANOVA’s, while thematic analysis was employed to analyze the interview transcripts. Areas where knowledge or information regarding ASD was lacking is discussed. Additionally, recommendations for improving medical education regarding ASD and physicians’ knowledge, as well as clinical and research implications are discussed.