Impact of a Grand Rounds Interprofessional Workshop: student perceptions of interprofessional socialization and cultural humility.

While uniprofessional education programs develop strong student identities, they may limit the development of behaviors needed for interprofessional socialization. Interprofessional education (IPE) creates an essential platform for student engagement in the development of interprofessional socialization and cultural humility, thus enabling improvement in collaborative communication. In this quasi-experimental observational study, health professional students attended one of three Grand Rounds Interprofessional Workshops (GRIW) and completed online pre- and post-workshop surveys including sociodemographic background, the Interprofessional Socialization and Valuing Scale (ISVS), and the Cultural Competence Self-Assessment Checklist (CCSAC). A total of 394 students from eight professions participated in the workshop with 287 (73%) of attendees completing both pre- and post-workshop surveys. No significant differences were observed in ISVS and CCSAC scores between students across workshops. Significant pre- to post-workshop differences were found in ISVS [t (284) = 13.5, p < .001, 95%], CCSAC [t (286) = 13.8, p < .001] and the cultural competence components of cultural awareness [t (285) = 12.9, p < .001, 95%], knowledge [t (285) = 9.5, p < .001, 95%], and skills [t (286) = 13.3, p < .001, 95%]. Interprofessional education learning opportunities that integrate socialization with health professional students and cultural humility education can improve educational awareness of cultural values and communication for collaborative professional practice.

Rate of Communicative Gestures and Developmental Outcomes in Toddlers With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder During a Home Observation.

Purpose Most toddlers with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental delays receive early intervention at home and may not participate in a clinic-based communication evaluation. However, there is limited research that has prospectively examined communication in very young children with and without autism in a home-based setting. This study used granular observational coding to document the communicative acts performed by toddlers with autism, developmental delay, and typical development in the home environment. Method Children were selected from the archival database of the FIRST WORDS Project (N = 211). At approximately 20 months of age, each child participated in everyday activities with a caregiver during an hour-long, video-recorded, naturalistic home observation. Inventories of unique gestures, rates per minute, and proportions of types of communicative acts and communicative functions were coded and compared using a one-way analysis of variance. Concurrent and prospective relationships between rate of communication and measures of social communication, language development, and autism symptoms were examined. Results A total of 40,738 communicative acts were coded. Children with autism, developmental delay, and typical development used eight, nine, and 12 unique gestures on average, respectively. Children with autism used deictic gestures, vocalizations, and communicative acts for behavior regulation at significantly lower rates than the other groups. Statistically significant correlations were observed between rate of communication and several outcome measures. Conclusion Observation of social communication in the natural environment may improve early identification of children with autism and communication delays, complement clinic-based assessments, and provide useful information about a child's social communication profile and the family's preferred activities and intervention priorities. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.14204522.

Feasibility of utilizing autism navigator® for primary care in South Africa.

There is a significant research-to-practice gap in early detection of young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) worldwide but particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where expertise is limited and high-quality training is difficult to access. Autism Navigator® for Primary Care is a web-based course designed to increase awareness of red flags of ASD in the second year of life and thus promote earlier detection and referral for intervention. It contains extensive video illustrations that offer rapid access to multiple exemplars of ASD red flags. This study examined aspects of feasibility of the Autism Navigator® for Primary Care in one LMIC, South Africa. A mixed-methods quasi-experimental design was used to examine relevant professionals' implementation of the course and measure changes in their knowledge of red flags after training. Perceptions of the acceptability, demand, and practicality of the course were explored in focus groups. Sixty-two providers completed the course online with a 94% completion rate. Built-in learner assessment pass rates ranged from 88% to 100%. Second-language English speakers took longer to complete the learner assessments, and professionals with less access to the Internet spent less time in the course. Participants' perceptions of the acceptability, demand, and practicality of the course were mostly positive with some suggestions made for local conditions. Results supported the feasibility of the course in this LMIC with some supports required pertaining to language and Internet access. We propose that this training has the potential to lower the age of detection of ASD in South Africa and other LMICs. Autism Research 2018, 11: 1511-1521. © 2018 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: Professionals in low- and middle-income countries urgently need training to recognize red flags of autism in very young children. The feasibility of utilizing the Autism Navigator® for Primary Care course for this training was explored with 62 South African professionals. After training, professionals' knowledge of early red flags improved, and most reported the course important and needed in South Africa. They found the web-based design mostly acceptable, practical, and culturally applicable. The course could help lower the age of autism detection.