A Framework for Developing a Curriculum Regarding Autism Spectrum Disorders for Primary Care Providers

Area of Science:

• Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs)
• Primary Care Education
• General Practitioner Training

Background:

• Increasing prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) necessitates enhanced primary care education.
• General Practitioners (GPs) require training for early ASD identification and referral.
• Previous surveys identified two key educational domains: general knowledge and surveillance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To gather further evidence supporting the two educational domains for GPs.
• To synthesize essential content for GP educational programs on ASDs.
• To inform the development of ASD training for the primary healthcare workforce.

Main Methods:

• Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) of existing survey data.
• Systematic literature review utilizing a life cycle approach.
• Identification of critical educational topics for GPs in ASD care.

Main Results:

• Both CFA and literature review validated the two-domain framework for ASD education.
• General knowledge domain includes recognizing red flags, using surveillance tools, and understanding referral pathways.
• Surveillance domain covers managing transitions, psychopharmacology for comorbidities, and family support.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a framework for developing structured ASD learning activities.
• GP supervisors and educators can utilize these findings for primary care workforce training.
• Enhanced training will improve the primary healthcare system's capacity to manage ASDs.