Table 2.

Areas of greatest training need - MCH workforce.

All participants	Mean difference
Critically evaluating the quality of research on the early detection of autism in children under 31 months	1.73
Instructing or training students/junior staff in the early detection of autism	1.58
Appraising your own performance in recognizing the early signs of autism	1.49
Assessing a child’s “likelihood for autism” associated with social communication delays	1.23
Identifying areas of clinical practice that should be systematically investigated	1.16
Making decisions about the specific needs of children at “high likelihood of autism”	1.16
Finding information that can inform your clinical work	1.10
Knowing how to use equipment and information to explain developmental surveillance to parents/caregivers	1.06
Advising parents/caregivers on developmental surveillance methods	1.03
Introducing new ideas into your own maternal and child health work	1.02
Providing feedback to colleagues working in maternal and child health	0.98
Metropolitan participants
Critically evaluating the quality of research on the early detection of autism in children under 31 months	1.72
Appraising your own performance in recognizing the early signs of autism	1.41
Instructing or training students/junior staff in the early detection of autism	1.39
Identifying areas of clinical practice that should be systematically investigated	1.11
Finding information that can inform your clinical work	1.09
Assessing a child’s “likelihood for autism” associated with social communication delays	1.07
Making decisions about the specific needs of children at “high likelihood of autism”	1.05
Advising parents/caregivers on developmental surveillance methods	0.98
Introducing new ideas into your own maternal and child health work	0.97
Knowing how to use equipment and information to explain developmental surveillance to parents/caregivers	0.96
Providing feedback to colleagues working in maternal and child health	0.89
Rural/regional participants
Instructing or training students/junior staff in the early detection of autism	1.91
Critically evaluating the quality of research on the early detection of autism in children under 31 months	1.84
Appraising your own performance in recognizing the early signs of autism	1.73
Assessing a child’s “likelihood for autism” associated with social communication delays	1.55
Making decisions about the specific needs of children at “high likelihood of autism”	1.46
Identifying areas of clinical practice that should be systematically investigated	1.32
Finding information that can inform your clinical work	1.30
Knowing how to use equipment and information to explain developmental surveillance to parents/caregivers	1.27
Introducing new ideas into your own maternal and child health work	1.25
Assessing parent/caregiver satisfaction with maternal and child health checks	1.23
Planning clients’ referral for further investigations or treatment	1.21