Search

Waddah M AlAlmaei Asiri,1 Ayed A Shati,2 Saleh M Al-Qahtani,2 Youssef A Al-Qahtani,2 Mohammed S Aldarami,3 Fahad D Alamri,4 Huda S Alshahrani,5 Syed Esam Mahmood6 1Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Child Health, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Surgery, King Abdullah Hospital, Bisha, Saudi Arabia; 4College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia; 5Department of Psychiatry, Abha Psychiatric Hospital, Abha, Saudi Arabia; 6Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Ayed A Shati, Department of Child Health, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, P.O. Box 641, Abha, Saudi Arabia, Email shatiayed@gmail.comBackground: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects young children in social relatedness and communication besides other characteristics. A community’s awareness and early intervention services in diagnosing and treating autistic children are essential for preventing the expected complications, eg language delay, social interaction, and intellectual ability.Aim: To assess the parent’s knowledge and perceptions regarding autism and its associated clinical features and effects.Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted targeting all available parents aged 18 years or more living in Aseer region. Data were collected using a self-reported questionnaire from randomly selected parents who attended outpatient clinics at Abha Maternity and Children Hospital and Aseer Central Hospital. Parents’ knowledge regarding autism was assessed covering general knowledge, clinical features, social effects, consequences, and curability.Results: A total of 477 parents participated. Parents’ ages ranged from 18 to 85 years. 261 (54.7%) parents were male and 216 (45.3%) were females. Nearly 65.6% of parents were university gr