ERIC Number: EJ1119307
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Dec
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1088-3576
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Middle School Students' Attitudes toward a Peer with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Effects of Social Acceptance and Physical Inclusion
Tonnsen, Bridgette L.; Hahn, Erin R.
Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, v31 n4 p262-274 Dec 2016
Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience peer conflict and social challenges, which likely relate to compounded characteristics of both the child with ASD and his or her peers. However, few studies have experimentally investigated these associations to inform prevention and intervention efforts. The present study used social networking blogs to examine how middle school students' attitudes toward a fictional peer with ASD, Charlie, vary according to whether Charlie was (a) physically included with typically developing peers and (b) socially accepted. Participants expressed less favorable attitudes when Charlie was socially excluded by his peers, regardless of whether his peers had disabilities. More favorable attitudes were associated with participant popularity, previous exposure to ASD, younger age, and being female. Charlie's ASD status was associated with more negative anticipated peer attitudes. These results indicate that facilitating positive, public social experiences of students with ASD may promote positive attitudes and social acceptance by peers.
Descriptors: Inclusion, Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Autism, Middle School Students, Student Attitudes, Prevention, Intervention, Social Networks, Network Analysis, Web 2.0 Technologies, Predictor Variables, Peer Relationship, Attitudes toward Disabilities, Recognition (Psychology), Gender Differences, Age Differences, Check Lists, Personality Measures, Multivariate Analysis, Regression (Statistics), Statistical Analysis
SAGE Publications and Hammill Institute on Disabilities. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Middle Schools; Secondary Education; Junior High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Adjective Check List
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A