Passwater, CanaanNeal, TiffanySwiezy, Naomi2025-05-052025-05-052018Passwater, C., Neal, T., & Swiezy, N. (2018). Assessing Perceptions, Confidence, and Training Needs of Medical Students in Autism Spectrum Disorder Care. Presented at the HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training and Resource Center at Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis.https://hdl.handle.net/1805/47757As Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) becomes increasingly prevalent, addressing the stigma surrounding it is essential for improving outcomes for individuals with ASD. The Autism Knowledge Survey (AKS), originally designed to measure autism-related knowledge, may also provide insights into stigma-related beliefs held by professionals and the general public. This exploratory analysis identifies six AKS items that may reflect stigmatizing beliefs, related to misconceptions about emotional connection, cooperation, independence, and social attachment in individuals with ASD. Survey responses collected across multiple summers from educational professionals suggest that stigma and knowledge may be inversely related. By identifying which misconceptions persist, ASD training programs such as HANDS in Autism® can better tailor educational content to reduce stigma and improve the effectiveness of support systems. Further research using dedicated stigma scales is recommended to validate these preliminary findings and enhance the precision of stigma measurement across stakeholder groups.en-USAutismAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)Individuals with ASDAutism EducationAutism Knowledge Survey (AKS)Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)Stigma in AutismPublic Perception of ASDSpecial Education TrainingSocial Attitudes and DisabilitiesMisconceptions About AutismPoster