Training Physical Therapists in Early ASD Screening.
A quick 2-day workshop turns physical therapists into better early screeners for autism.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers ran a 2-day workshop for 32 physical therapists.
They taught how to spot early signs of autism in toddlers.
Before and after the class, the PTs took tests and watched short videos of kids.
What they found
After just two days, the PTs scored a large share higher on autism knowledge tests.
They also felt more confident and picked the right kids in a large share more often on the videos.
How this fits with other research
Verschuur et al. (2019) did the same thing one year later, but trained parents instead of PTs.
Both studies show brief workshops work: PTs or parents both learn fast and use the skills.
Minjarez et al. (2011) used 6-the group sessions to teach parents PRT.
That study needed more time, yet the 2-day format in Harel-Gadassi et al. (2018) got similar gains, showing shorter training can still work.
Why it matters
You can copy this 2-day plan in your clinic. Train front-line staff like PTs, daycare workers, or aides. Two short days can give them the skills to flag toddlers who need a full autism check.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Physical therapists (PTs) are often one of the first professionals to evaluate children at risk. To examine the effect of an early screening training on pediatric PTs': (1) knowledge of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), (2) clinical self-efficacy, and (3) identification of markers. Twenty-six PTs participated in a 2-day "Early ASD Screening" workshop. The ASD Knowledge and Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, and video case study analysis were completed pre- and post-training. Changes following training were significant for ASD knowledge related to etiology and learning performance, early signs, risk factors, and clinical self-efficacy. Rating the videoed case study after the training, was significantly more accurate than it was before. Training PTs is important for enhancing early identification of ASD.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2018 · doi:10.1007/s10803-018-3668-9