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Background: 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 graduates and 28.3% had a secondary level of education. About 50.9% of the parents know that genetics play a major role in causing autism, 69.6% think that most children with autism have special talents or abilities, 64.2% know that delayed language development is one of the main symptoms of autism, 61.2% also know that repetitive movements of the hands and head are a common symptom of autism. About 36.9% of parents think that diagnosing a child with autism will lead to discrimination against the child, 33.3% of parents think that autism is a rare condition in this country compared to the West. Conclusion: The study showed that parents had poor knowledge levels regarding autism and its related clinical features, especially male parents with low levels of education. On the other hand, their perception of the disease and its frequency in the study area was satisfactory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Well-baby clinic (WBC) service is implemented in all primary health care centers and is provided based on international standards to all children under 5 years in Saudi Arabia. It is a comprehensive package of health promotion and curative care to improve and maintain the health status and well-being of this age group., Aim: The main aim is to assess parents' awareness and perception regarding WBC in primary health care centers in Abha sector, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)., Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional approach was used in the current study. The study targeted all babies' caregivers attending WBCs in primary health care centers in Abha city. The children's parents were included using three stages cluster sample technique. The questionnaire included participants' demographic data such as age, gender, relation to the baby, educational level, work, and monthly income. Awareness regarding the WBC was assessed using two main items covering hearing about the clinic provided services., Results: The study included 1593 participants whose ages ranged from 19 to 55 years old with a mean age of 34.6 ± 11.8 years. About 64% of the respondents knew about the WBC, which was significantly higher among the females than males ( P = .003). Also, 71.2% of respondents aged 25-34 years knew about well-baby clinic (WBC) compared to 35% of parents aged less than 25 years ( P = .001). Exact 57.1% of the respondents went to the nearest governmental health office at vaccination times. About 46% of the respondents reported that the clinic nurse was the main person who dealt with them. Regarding services provided by a nurse at the vaccination clinic, registering child vaccination was the most reported (66.2%), followed by helping the mother make the child calm (56.8%)., Conclusions: In conclusion, the study revealed that proper care is vital for a child's survival as well as optimal physical and mental development. Adequately cared child has proper well-being and happiness. Mothers and children caregivers had adequate awareness and acceptable attitude towards WBCs and provided services. Some barriers were declared including lack of available WBCs within the residence range, not all WBCs usually working, and more information should be provided about WBCs., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2021 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.)