An Adult Autism Training With Case Studies and Standardized Patient Encounters for Internal Medicine and Family Medicine Residents

Introduction: Autistic adults are significantly more likely than non-autistic peers to have many physical and mental health conditions and unmet health care needs. One major barrier to meeting their needs is the scarcity of adult primary care physicians who are prepared to care for them. Methods: = 29) at a large midwestern US academic medical center completed a pre- and postcourse evaluation and qualitative interviews to report their self-efficacy, attitudes, perceived behavioral control, intention to treat in the future, and knowledge about caring for autistic adult patients. Resident feedback indicated an appreciation for the active learning elements of the training, insights from faculty facilitators and other residents, and the growth they experienced as practitioners. Discussion: This multifaceted training provides active learning opportunities in a low-stakes environment to increase residents' confidence in providing primary care for autistic adults. Future efforts include integration of this training into residency curricula at our institution and others.