Autism Knowledge among Pre-Service Teachers Specialized in Children Birth through Age Five: Implications for Health Education

Background: Autism prevalence has grown dramatically. Early interventions are effective in helping children with autism develop behavior patterns similar to children without the condition. It is important for health educators and teachers to recognize common autism symptoms among preschool children so they will benefit from early intervention. Purpose: To examine autism knowledge among pre-service teachers specialized in children birth through age five (B-5). Method: After an IRB approval was obtained, a self-administered paper-pencil survey was conducted in four undergraduate B-5 programs in the Southeastern United States. Data were collected from 148 of the 176 preservice B-5 teachers. Results: The mean age was 32 and 139 (93.9%) were female. 75.0% of the participants had limited experience interacting with autistic children. The mean score of perceived knowledge was 3.7 on a 7-point Likert scale with 7 being very knowledgeable and 1 being no knowledge. The mean actual knowledge score was 19.1 out of 26. Discussion: Many participants lacked autism knowledge, which is influenced by age, perceived autism knowledge, past experience in working with autistic children and the number of sources where participants received autism information. Translation to Health Education: Health educators should plan, implement, administer and manage health education, especially autism education, for B-5 teacher preparation programs.