The Influence of Health-Care Professionals' Work Experience in Recognition of ASD: The Moderating Role of the Number of Symptoms Presented

Abstract

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often see health-care professionals (HCPs) more frequent than typically developing children. However, not all children are recognized timely. Early recognition is important to ensure timely diagnosis, and long-term positive outcomes. The current study aims to examine whether work experience influences HCPs ability to recognize ASD. It will also examine the impact of the amount of information provided about ASD on its recognition. Finally, the interaction between work experience and the number of symptoms provided about ASD will be examined in relation to recognition of ASD. Participants (N=431) evaluated vignettes describing children with ASD. Results show that work experience does not influence the recognition of ASD. However, when many symptoms were presented, recognition of ASD greatly improved. Unexpectedly, this did not hold true for HCPs with little experience. The clinical practice should be aware of delayed and missed recognition in order to benefit from the merits of early interventions. Keywords: Mental-health problems, ASD, Health-care professionals, symptoms, recognition, work experience