Abstract
The purpose of this project was to determine what training private practice social workers would prefer in order to learn more about autism. This qualitative exploratory study used content analysis to analyze responses from interviews with ten participants. Participants were social workers with at least a master’s degree who work in a private practice. Participants were required to be interested in learning about autism but could not be an expert in autism. Participants’ responses were categorized into three themes: complexities of autism diagnosis, effective interventions, and preferred training opportunities. One major finding is that participants were interested in training about identifying autism and understanding what interventions are appropriate for autistic clients. Recommendations and implications for social work policy and practice are discussed.