Development, delivery, and evaluation of a training program for the early identification of autism: Monitoring of Social Attention, Interaction, and Communication

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Gilbert, M., Gore, K., Hawke, M., & Barbaro, J. (2023). Development, delivery, and evaluation of a training program for the early identification of autism: Monitoring of Social Attention, Interaction, and Communication. Frontiers in Neurology, 14, 1201265-1201265. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2023.1201265

Publication date: 7 Jul 2023 Added to AutiHub: 7 Sep 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
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Authors

Publication authors
4
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 4 (25.0%)
  1. Melissa Gilbert
  2. Katherine Gore
  3. Marguerite Hawke
  4. Josephine Barbaro *

Abstract

Introduction Early identification of Autistic children is an important precursor to diagnosis, and access to supports and services. Here we describe the training of the maternal and child health (MCH) workforce in the state of Victoria, Australia in the early identification of infants and toddlers with a high likelihood of autism. Methods In 2019, 1,428 MCH nurses completed early autism training held at venues across the state, with an additional 82 nurses completing online-only training. A training needs analysis enabled the research team to determine the workforce’s current skill and knowledge levels, and to identify knowledge gaps, training needs and workplace barriers. The professional development program, known as Monitoring of Social Attention, Interaction, and Communication (MoSAIC), comprised: online pre-workshop modules; a face-to-face instructor-led workshop, which included the use of the Social Attention and Communication-Revised (SACS-R) tool; and online post-workshop modules, which included a recording of a face-to-face workshop with all accompanying resources. This was the first time that the MCH workforce received this training package. Attendees were asked to complete a training satisfaction survey immediately following the face-to-face instructor-led workshop and a follow-up survey regarding their autism knowledge and SACS-R implementation 4–6 weeks after the workshop. Results Over 90% (n = 325) of MCH nurses who completed the training satisfaction survey agreed or strongly agreed with statements that the training was clear and of high quality. Most nurses also reported that the training was well-presented and that they would recommend it to a colleague. In the 6 months following the training, a total of 82,581 SACS-R assessments were conducted by the MCH workforce, reflecting that MCH nurses had successfully integrated SACS-R assessments into their work practice after receiving the early autism identification training. Discussion This study demonstrated that training on the early identification of autism can be successfully designed, customized, and delivered to a large primary healthcare workforce for universal developmental surveillance of autism.

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Cited references
61
With a DOI
45
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
16
14 / 61 (23.0%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
12 / 61 (19.7%)
References with detected author names
50 / 61 (82.0%)
Without detected author names
11
Without a structured title
4
Without a stable identifier
16
References with raw author names still to review
0
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
193
From DOI or external metadata
193
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
0
80 / 193 (41.5%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 113 / 193 (58.5%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
14 / 193 (7.3%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 14 / 80 (17.5%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 2 / 161 (1.2%).
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