CHSU Discovery

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) each affect many children1, and the two conditions often have overlap in symptoms2. Lack of provider knowledge and comfort in treating TBI in ASD patients could be a barrier to effective care. We hypothesize that healthcare providers within the Central Valley exhibit baseline confidence and comfort levels capable of improvement in treating patients with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) who were previously diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Objectives: To assess provider knowledge and comfort in treating TBI in pediatric ASD patients. Methods: A survey was developed to assess provider knowledge and comfort using ten self-written questions on a 5-point Likert scale, followed by five additional optional open-ended questions specifically for providers who have previously treated TBI in patients with ASD. Demographic questions were added to investigate the potential effects of age, ethnicity, specialty, medical credentials, and/or years of training on provider knowledge and comfort. Discussion/Next Steps: The survey is complete and ready to be sent to pediatric providers. The findings of this project offer the potential to illuminate a gap in care for patients with ASD being treated for TBI. Further research would be needed to explore what types of interventions might be useful to address this discrepancy.