Time for Autism
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Building the evidence for a new medical educational programme for Autistic Spectrum Disorder: Time for Autism
IRAS ID
258482
Contact name
Stephanie Daley
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 31 days
Research summary
Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often experience delays in obtaining a formal diagnosis, which impacts upon timely treatment and support being offered and frequently have poor experiences of wider healthcare delivery.
Whilst all doctors should be equipped with the appropriate skills, empathy and understanding to provide best care to children with ASD, specific training (particularly at undergraduate level) is limited and in many cases, lacking completely . To address this unmet need, we are developing a new educational programme at Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) called Time for Autism (TfA). TfA is a longitudinal programme, where pairs of students engage with a family whose child is on the autistic spectrum over a course of approximately 15 months. The aim is for students to understand what it is like to live with a condition such as autism and to care for a child who has autism and to learn from the family's experiences.
This study will explore how TfA could enhance the undergraduate medical training experience, at BSMS (initially), and beyond. Firstly, the study will survey how autism is included undergraduate curricula across UK medical schools. Secondly, the current level of ASD knowledge in final year BSMS medical students will be assessed. Finally, we will investigate (through interview) how educators, students and parents/carers view the limitations of current undergraduate teaching in relation to autism (where applicable) and how implementation of TfA might be best accepted by these key stakeholders.
The results from this study will be used to provide evidence of the perceived limitations of the current undergraduate curriculum in relation to ASD and to support the development of an acceptable and effective future educational programme, Time for Autism.
REC name
South Central - Hampshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/SC/0041
Date of REC Opinion
29 Jan 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion