Patel, MeghnaNcube, SthembisoDu Toit, MariaMuller Vorster, CarlienDawood, RaeesaDu Preez, ChriséleEccles, Renata2024-07-022024-07-022024-06Patel, M., Ncube, S., Du Toit, M. et al. 2024, 'Undergraduate allied healthcare professional students’ perceived knowledge of children with autism spectrum disorder', Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice, vol. 22, no. 3, art. 2, pp. 1-10.1540-580X (online)http://hdl.handle.net/2263/96755PURPOSE : Allied healthcare professionals are key stakeholders involved in managing children with autism spectrum disorder. Adequate knowledge, interprofessional education, and collaborative practice should therefore be fostered through a responsive curriculum from an undergraduate level. This study aimed to describe the knowledge of final-year undergraduate allied healthcare professional students from a South African university regarding risk factors, symptoms, and intervention considerations for children with autism spectrum disorder. METHOD : A cross-sectional e-survey design was implemented, and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. The e-survey was distributed to 170 undergraduate students. RESULTS : A total of 59 participants from the following study programs completed the survey: Audiology (n=10), Human Nutrition (n=6), Occupational Therapy (n=5), Physiotherapy (n=10) and Speech-Language Pathology (n=28). Overall, participants perceived their knowledge of autism spectrum disorder to be poor-to-average (71%; N=42). Participants identified the disorder’s symptoms (69%; N=41) more accurately compared to risk factors (51%; N=30). Discrepancies across study programs were apparent regarding when to initiate intervention. Participants showed substandard understanding of evidence-based intervention approaches (47%; N=28). Across study programs, participants were unaware of the roles other allied healthcare professionals played in service provision areas. CONCLUSIONS : This study identified multiple gaps in the students’ knowledge across all study programs regarding risk factors and symptoms, screening, accurate multidisciplinary, referrals as well as timely intervention. RECOMMENDATIONS : Future undergraduate curricula should therefore focus on disorder-specific and in-depth knowledge, while including interprofessional and collaborative service provision as autism spectrum disorder requires multidisciplinary management.en© Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice, 2024. This Manuscript is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Health Care Sciences at NSUWorks.Allied healthcare professionalChildrenAutism spectrum disorder (ASD)Undergraduate studentsSDG-03: Good health and well-beingSDG-04: Quality educationPerceived knowledgeInterprofessional educationCollaborative practiceArticle