[01] Natalie Lum Pui Yee, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia (MUCM), Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Melaka, Malaysia. [02] Yong Soon Heng, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia (MUCM), Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Melaka, Malaysia. [03] Cassendra Soo Yun Fong, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia (MUCM), Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Melaka, Malaysia. [04] Asyvinii Loganathan, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia (MUCM), Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Melaka, Malaysia. [05] Aruljothi K. Paramjothi, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia (MUCM), Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Melaka, Malaysia.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often results in negative stigma and rejection, causing autistic individuals to be unjustly treated, resulting in them being socially isolated. Adults who have been diagnosed with ASD would be judged more negatively than childhood autism due to more empathy towards a child. This study is to explore the perception of Autism Spectrum Disorders among medical students in Manipal University College Malaysia (MUCM). An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted from May 2021 to June 2021 on undergraduate medical students of Manipal University College Malaysia (MUCM). The sampling method used was purposive sampling which the sample of our study was selected based on the characteristic of the population and objective of the study. A validated questionnaire was taken from a previous study and was distributed to the sample via electronic survey form. The students were asked to respond to the questionnaire by using a five-point Likert scale depending on the personal extent to which they agreed on the questions based on each scenario. The analysis included frequency, percentages, mean, standard deviation, 95% CI and p-value with the level of significance of 5%. Unpaired T-test, Paired T-test and ANOVA test were used in data analysis. The electronic questionnaire consisting of 49 questions was distributed to the medical students of Manipal University College Malaysia (MUCM). A total of 152 responses were received with a mean age of 21.65. The overall perception towards autism was 3.63 which showed a positive view of autism among medical students. This study revealed that exposure is a critical factor affecting the perception of medical students towards Autism Spectrum Disorder in Manipal University College Malaysia (MUCM). The present study is only an initial step to examine the perception. Future research may enlarge on this topic in several directions such as more in-depth studies are needed to have better identifying factors in influencing the perception and potential factors to reduce negative perception of autism for enhancement of better treatment services for individuals with autism which benefit both the future doctors and the patient.

Autism, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Perception, Medical Student, Cross-sectional Study, Malaysia

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