Public Stigma of Autism Spectrum Disorder at School: Implicit Attitudes Matter

Aubé, Benoîte; Follenfant, Alice; Goudeau, Sébastien

doi:10.1007/s10803-020-04635-9

Cited by 46 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…The association between age and the CATAQ was another indication of good criterion validity. Our results confirm that negative attitudes toward children with autism decrease as children became older (Aubé et al, 2020;Dunham et al, 2008). This trend was reported in other studies that focus on children's attitudes toward other targets (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Moreover, children's overt attitudes toward autism tend to become more positive with age (Aubé et al, 2020). Indeed, the more the child develops, the more the desire to give a good selfimage is important, and the more difficult it is to report negative attitudes (Aubé et al, 2020). Regarding contextual factors, direct and frequent contact with a child with autism is associated with more positive attitudes toward autism (MacMillan et al, 2014;Mavropoulou & Sideridis, 2014), which is consistent with a large set of results in social psychology (Zhou et al, 2019).…”

Section: Children's Attitudes Toward Autismsupporting

confidence: 77%

“…The second objective was to explore the impact of moderating factors. Age, gender, and degree of familiarity with disability are generally considered by researchers to be important moderators of attitudes toward disability (Aubé et al, 2020;Campbell et al, 2004;de Boer et al, 2012;MacMillan et al, 2014;Mavropoulou & Sideridis, 2014;McManus et al, 2011;Nowicki & Sandieson, 2002;Rosenbaum et al, 1988;Szumski et al, 2020). In light of previous findings described below, it is hypothesized that attitudes toward children with autism will be positively associated with age (H2).…”

Section: Overview and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…For example, boys report more negative attitudes toward their peers with disability than girls do (Campbell et al, 2004;Nowicki & Sandieson, 2002;Rosenbaum et al, 1988;Szumski et al, 2020), presumably because boys are stereotypically less encouraged than girls to be caring (Feingold, 1994;Morawska, 2020;Su et al, 2009). Moreover, children's overt attitudes toward autism tend to become more positive with age (Aubé et al, 2020). Indeed, the more the child develops, the more the desire to give a good selfimage is important, and the more difficult it is to report negative attitudes (Aubé et al, 2020).…”

Section: Children's Attitudes Toward Autismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In light of previous findings described below, it is hypothesized that attitudes toward children with autism will be positively associated with age (H2). Indeed, as children grow up, they tend to have more normative concerns and thus express more positive attitudes toward people who are different from the norm (Aubé et al, 2020;Dunham et al, 2008). Moreover, it is hypothesized that girls will show more positive attitudes toward children with autism compared to boys (H3) because they might be brought up to take care of others more than boys are (Feingold, 1994;Morawska, 2020;Su et al, 2009).…”

Section: Overview and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Another step to school inclusion: Development and validation of the Children’s Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire

Aubé

Rohmer

Marotta

et al. 2021

Autism

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Negatives attitudes toward children with autism are an important barrier to school inclusion. Despite the increasing amount of research, no psychometrically sound scale reliably measures these attitudes in young students. Our aim was to develop and validate a tool (Children’s Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire) to evaluate attitudes (three dimensions) of students in elementary school toward peers with autism. Elementary school students ( N = 204) completed the Children’s Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire and two other scales assessing behavioral intentions toward peers with mental disability (Shared Activities Questionnaire-B) and familiarity with disability and autism. The confirmatory factor analysis first showed a satisfactory model fit ( χ2/df = 3.65, root mean square error of approximation = 0.114, adjusted goodness of fit index = 0.970, standardized root mean square residual = 0.067, comparative fit index = 0.967, and non-normed fit index = 0.963) and internal consistency for each dimension was good (>0.70). Second, attitudes were more positive in girls, older children, and children familiar with disability (but not with autism). The behavioral dimension of the Children’s Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire had the strongest association with the Shared Activities Questionnaire-B. The Children’s Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire is the first scale (1) to assess the three dimensions of attitudes toward autism (2) among children (from the age of 6 years old) and (3) to show good psychometric quality. With the Children’s Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire, researchers can reliably measure children’s attitudes toward peers with autism, which is especially necessary when evaluating the effectiveness of much-needed anti-stigma programs. Lay abstract Research has shown that negative attitudes toward a different child can appear very early in development. Unfortunately, these negative attitudes are one of the most important barriers to the school inclusion of children with autism. Despite the increasing amount of research, no tool reliably measures these attitudes among young students. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a questionnaire (Children’s Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire) to evaluate attitudes of students in elementary school toward their peers with autism. Elementary school students ( N = 204) completed the Children’s Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire and two other scales assessing behavioral intentions toward peers with a mental disability (Shared Activities Questionnaire-B) and familiarity with disability and autism. Results first showed that the Children’s Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire reliably measured the concept of attitude through three sub-dimensions (namely, the cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions). Second, analyses confirmed that the Children’s Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire corresponds with previous knowledge on this topic, namely, that attitudes were more positive in girls, older children, and children familiar with disability. In conclusion, the Children’s Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire is the first scale (1) to assess all the dimensions of attitudes toward autism among elementary school children (from the age of 6 years old) and (2) to show theoretical and statistical relevance. From now on, the Children’s Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire can be used to assess attitudes of young children toward their peers with autism. This is an important step forward, in particular for evaluating the effects of anti-stigma programs that are increasingly implemented in schools.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Children's Attitudes Toward Autismsupporting

confidence: 77%

Section: Overview and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Children's Attitudes Toward Autismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Overview and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Another step to school inclusion: Development and validation of the Children’s Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire

Aubé

Rohmer

Marotta

et al. 2021

Autism

Self Cite

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A systematic review and meta‐analysis of associations between primarily non‐autistic people's characteristics and attitudes toward autistic people

et al. 2022

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This systematic review includes a narrative synthesis and meta‐analysis of research on the associations between primarily non‐autistic people's characteristics and their attitudes toward autistic people. Of 47 studies included in the narrative synthesis, White undergraduate students were surveyed most frequently. Demographic characteristics were the factors most frequently tested for associations with attitudes, followed by contact‐related factors (i.e., quantity and quality), knowledge about autism, trait and personality factors, and other factors that did not fit into a single category. Internal consistency was not reported for some instruments assessing raters' characteristics; some instruments had alpha levels lower than 0.70, and many characteristics of raters were measured using one‐item measures. Moreover, theoretical motivations for investigating the raters' characteristics were rarely provided. A total of 36 studies were included in the meta‐analysis, which showed that attitudes toward autistic people were significantly associated with participants' gender, knowledge about autism, and quality and quantity of their previous contact with autistic people, but not with their age or autistic traits. These findings indicate a need for more studies that focus on context‐related characteristics (e.g., institutional variables such as support/commitment to inclusion), use reliable instruments to measure non‐autistic people's characteristics, and situate their investigation in a theoretical framework.

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Who Belongs in Schools? How the Education System Fails Racially Marginalised Students

Yared¹,

Grové²,

Chapman³

2022

Research for Inclusive Quality Education

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Public Stigma of Autism Spectrum Disorder at School: Implicit Attitudes Matter

Cited by 46 publications

References 64 publications

Another step to school inclusion: Development and validation of the Children’s Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire

Another step to school inclusion: Development and validation of the Children’s Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire

A systematic review and meta‐analysis of associations between primarily non‐autistic people's characteristics and attitudes toward autistic people

Who Belongs in Schools? How the Education System Fails Racially Marginalised Students

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