Abstract
Background:Despite the existence of autism spectrum disorder in Ghana, few studies have provided the necessary information on the phenomenon. These studies have mostly focused on speech and language therapy for children and modification of classroom environment for children with autism spectrum disorder. This approach has resulted in a paucity of knowledge on nurse’s knowledge of autism spectrum disorder in Ghana.Objective:The study sought to assess the knowledge of paediatric and psychiatric on autism spectrum disorder.Method:In this study, 130 paediatric and 93 psychiatric nurses sampled from five public hospitals in the Kumasi Metropolis participated in the survey. The Knowledge about Childhood Autism among Health Workers (KCAHW) questionnaire was employed to assess their knowledge of autism spectrum disorder.Results:It emerged from the study that psychiatric nurses were more knowledgeable on autism spectrum disorder than paediatric nurses in general and specifically on each of the four domains on the KCAHW questionnaire. However, the level of knowledge on autism spectrum disorder among both groups of nurses remains low. Apart from the previous encounter, there were no significant differences between paediatric and psychiatric nurses’ gender, age, marital status, working experience and their knowledge.Conclusion:In view of the findings, it will be appropriate for autism spectrum disorder to be included in the clinical training curriculum as well as the continuous professional education for both paediatric and psychiatric nurses. This will go a long way in helping paediatric and psychiatric nurses to increase their knowledge of autism spectrum disorder.
Highlights
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) defines Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as a spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders occurring early in childhood that is characterized by persistent deficits in social1745-0179/18 2018 Bentham Open100 Clinical Practice & Epidemiology in Mental Health, 2018, Volume 14Sampson and Sandra communication and interaction and restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests, or activities [1]
Statistics at the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) postulate that ASD is prevalent in the United States
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention assert that there are few published studies providing the necessary information about ASD in Ghana [19]
Summary
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) defines Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as a spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders occurring early in childhood that is characterized by persistent deficits in social1745-0179/18 2018 Bentham Open100 Clinical Practice & Epidemiology in Mental Health, 2018, Volume 14Sampson and Sandra communication and interaction and restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests, or activities [1]. The indication is that most of the children with ASD in Africa have Intellectual Disability (ID), severe speech delay and mostly diagnosed after age eight [19] This situation is not different from what pertains in Ghana with respect to data on children with ASD. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention assert that there are few published studies providing the necessary information about ASD in Ghana [19] They pointed out that there exist a number of unpublished documents in the phenomenon which are mostly prepared by Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), though the focus of such documents is on education and treatment of children with ASD. Despite the existence of autism spectrum disorder in Ghana, few studies have provided the necessary information on the phenomenon These studies have mostly focused on speech and language therapy for children and modification of classroom environment for children with autism spectrum disorder. This approach has resulted in a paucity of knowledge on nurse’s knowledge of autism spectrum disorder in Ghana
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