Özlem KARABULUTLU, Tuğba KAVAS
Middle Black Sea Journal of Health Science - 2026;12(2):256-274
Objective: Autism spectrum disorder has become a public health problem in recent years. This study was conducted to evaluate the knowledge awareness of parents of children aged 18 to 36 months. Methods: This study was conducted between May and June 2023 at an integrated family health center with 200 parents who have children aged 18 -36 months. This descriptive and cross -sectional study was conducted at an integrated family health center in a city in easte rn of Türkiye. A socio - demographic information form created by the researcher as a result of the literature review and an information form consisting of 13 questions evaluating the statements that parents suspect about Autism spectrum disorder were used. Results: The study found that 99% of participants had heard of autism before, 59% had received information about autism from healthcare professionals, and 21.5% stated that autism is an incurable neurodevelopmental disorder. When the distribution of partic ipants' statements regarding their suspicions of autism was examined, it was observed that 57.5% of the participants responded with "Not making eye contact with others" and "Not looking when their name is called," 60% with "Repeating certain words over and over again in unrelated contex ts," 53.5% with "The presence of strange movements such as rocking or flapping," 77.5% with "Eyes fixated on something," and 79.5% with "The presence of unusual movements such as spi nning or lining up certain objects. "When the relationship between participants' demographic characteristics and their statements regarding their suspicions about autism was examined, a statistically significant relationship was found between participants' income level, their source of information about autism, and their perception of autism as an incurable neurodevelopmental disorder (p<0.05) . Conclusion: Although the majority of parents primarily consulted healthcare professionals, their knowledge of auti sm symptoms was found to be weak. It is crucial for primary health care workers, who are the first point of contact, to closely follow the current literature and evidence -based strategies to recognize autism during follow -up sessions. We believe it is nece ssary for healthcare professionals to provide education and counseling to parents who lack sufficient knowledge about autism.
