Training Needs of Grassroots Health Workers and Population Collaborators in Early Detection and Support for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder in Thuan Thanh Ward, Bac Ninh Province

Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder that commonly manifests in early childhood, requires timely detection and intervention. At the grassroots level, health workers and population collaborators have frequent opportunities to interact with children and families, yet they still face difficulties in identifying early signs, counselling parents and making referrals. This article analyzes the training needs of health workers and population collaborators in early detection and support for children with autism spectrum disorder in the community based on a survey of 80 participants in Thuan Thanh Ward, Bac Ninh Province. The study employed a questionnaire survey combined with in-depth interviews and the quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings show that the counselling and referral capacity of grassroots personnel remained at a moderate level. The highest self-confidence score was found for knowledge of referral procedures and referral addresses (Mean = 3.25) whereas the lowest score was related to guidance on procedures for disability certification (Mean = 2.45). The most prominent training need was communication and psychological counselling skills to persuade parents selected by 97.5% of respondents, followed by information on social assistance policies and reliable intervention service providers selected by 93.8%. The article proposes a practice-oriented capacity-building program that integrates knowledge of autism, family counselling skills, initial screening, referral and resource linkage. Keywords: autism spectrum disorder; early detection; grassroots health workers; population collaborators; training needs; health social work. Title: TRAINING NEEDS OF GRASSROOTS HEALTH WORKERS AND POPULATION COLLABORATORS IN EARLY DETECTION AND SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER IN THUAN THANH WARD, BAC NINH PROVINCE Author: Do Nghiem Thanh Phuong, Nguyen Thi Mui International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online) Vol. 14, Issue 2, April 2026 - June 2026 Page No: 321-327 Research Publish Journals Website: www.researchpublish.com Published Date: 01-June-2026 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20486680 Paper Download Link (Source) https://www.researchpublish.com/papers/training-needs-of-grassroots-health-workers-and-population-collaborators-in-early-detection-and-support-for-children-with-autism-spectrum-disorder-in-thuan-thanh-ward-bac-ninh-province