title: A survey of practice for clinicians working with children with autism spectrum disorders and feeding difficulties.
abstract: The aim of this study was to document information from allied health clinicians about children on their caseload with autism spectrum disorders and feeding difficulties. An electronic survey was disseminated to clinicians working with this group around Australia, where 150 responses were returned and 96 were able to be analysed. Variability in responses was observed for service delivery models, frequency of input, referral reasons, and intervention choices. The majority of respondents identified limited-to-average knowledge of feeding therapy options for this population. Clinician confidence was significantly correlated with perceived therapy success. Results of the survey suggest a need for clinical guidelines in the area to direct practice. Low levels of clinician confidence and perceived therapy success also highlight a need for ongoing research and training.
authors.affiliation: Queensland Children's Medical Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. j.marshall@uq.edu.au
authors.forename: Jeanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.forename: Rebecca J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dodrill
mesh_terms: D000488:Allied Health Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D003625:Data Collection; D019959:Feeding and Eating Disorders of Childhood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans