Abstract
The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in Taiwan has been increasing, and genetic testing for ASD has been available and provided to parents of children diagnosed with ASD in Taiwan. However, there is still limited understanding of Taiwanese parents’ knowledge of and attitudes toward such testing. Therefore, the present study addressed this gap by assessing the attitudes toward as well as actual and perceived knowledge of ASD genetic testing among Taiwanese parents of children diagnosed with ASD. A sample of 443 parents of children with ASD recruited from 236 public schools in Taiwan completed a paper-and-pencil survey. Although parents generally held favorable attitudes toward ASD genetic testing, they had deficient knowledge of such test (with only a 31.4% average correct rate on the actual knowledge scale). Tailored health education materials should be developed to improve the knowledge of ASD genetic testing among parents with affected children in Taiwan.
Highlights
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by deficits in social communication and interactions, as well as the presence of restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behaviors and interests [1]
The results of this study suggest that parents of children with ASD in Taiwan generally hold favorable attitudes toward genetic testing for ASD, but they showed deficient knowledge of such testing
Such misperceptions of relative recurrence risk may influence their attitudes toward genetic testing among the siblings of children diagnosed with ASD [50]
Summary
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by deficits in social communication and interactions, as well as the presence of restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behaviors and interests [1]. The worldwide prevalence of ASD was estimated to be one in 160 children (0.6%) [2]. In Taiwan, the reported prevalence of ASD is higher, ranging from 1.0% to 1.2%, based on three representative studies with large samples [3,4,5]. Due to the insufficient number of health professionals with expertise in ASD (child psychiatrists) [6,7], limited clinical infrastructure for ASD assessment and diagnosis [6,7], and parents’ reluctance to seek help due to the cultural stigmatization associated with mental disorders [8,9], the actual prevalence of children with ASD in Taiwan could be higher. Whole-exome sequencing is available for children with ASD to identify inherited causes of ASD [12,19]
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