KNOWLEDGE ABOUT AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER AMONG FINAL YEAR MEDICAL STUDENTS IN BANGLADESH- A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Introduction: Knowledge about autism spectrum disorders (ASD) among medical professionals is crucial for early diagnosis and intervention. However, studies assessing such knowledge among medical students in Bangladesh arelimited This study aimed to evaluate knowledge about childhood autism among final year MBBS students in Bangladesh. And method: This cross sectional study was among 300 final year MBBS students from seven medical colleges under Dhaka University from July 2014 to July 2015. Data were collected using a semi structured questionnaire that include the Knowledge about Childhood Autism among Health Workers (KCAHW) questionnaire. KCAHW assesses knowledge across four domains: social interaction, communication, behavioral patterns, and disorder classification/comorbidities. A composite knowledge score calculated and was expressed as mean deviation. Descriptive statistics were presented using tables.