Department of Health Sciences, Towson University, Towson, MD 21252, USA.
Department of Health, Exercise & Sports Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.
Genes (Basel). 2022 Jan 27;13(2):239. doi: 10.3390/genes13020239.
The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in Taiwan has been increasing, and genetic testing for ASD has been available and provided to parents of children diagnosed with ASD in Taiwan. However, there is still limited understanding of Taiwanese parents' knowledge of and attitudes toward such testing. Therefore, the present study addressed this gap by assessing the attitudes toward as well as actual and perceived knowledge of ASD genetic testing among Taiwanese parents of children diagnosed with ASD. A sample of 443 parents of children with ASD recruited from 236 public schools in Taiwan completed a paper-and-pencil survey. Although parents generally held favorable attitudes toward ASD genetic testing, they had deficient knowledge of such test (with only a 31.4% average correct rate on the actual knowledge scale). Tailored health education materials should be developed to improve the knowledge of ASD genetic testing among parents with affected children in Taiwan.
自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 在台湾的流行率一直在上升，并且已经为台湾被诊断为 ASD 的儿童的家长提供了 ASD 的基因检测。然而，对于台湾家长对这种检测的了解和态度，仍然存在有限的认识。因此，本研究通过评估对 ASD 基因检测的态度以及台湾 ASD 儿童家长的实际和感知知识，填补了这一空白。从台湾的 236 所公立学校中招募了 443 名 ASD 儿童的家长作为样本，完成了一份纸笔调查问卷。尽管父母普遍对 ASD 基因检测持积极态度，但他们对这种检测的了解不足（实际知识量表的平均正确率仅为 31.4%）。应该开发针对性的健康教育材料，以提高台湾有受影响儿童的家长对 ASD 基因检测的了解。
