A cross-sectional study of children's attitudes towards peers with autism

Abstract

This study investigated the attitudes of children towards their peers with autism within the Maltese inclusive framework. A mixed methodology design was employed. In the quantitative part of the study the researcher carried out a group-administered questionnaire survey in sixteen different state school classes where both children who experience contact with peers with autism as well as those who do not were included. The total sample was made up of 301 students out of which 161 were boys and 140 were girls. The qualitative part of the study consisted in eight weeks of observations in classes where there is a child with autism present. The study investigated the role of student age, gender and the contact factor on attitudes. Results indicated that girls portray more positive attitudes towards peers with autism when compared to boys, irrespective of having contact or not with such peers. Contact was found to impact positively on the attitudes of peers. Age as a variable led to convergent findings between the two research methods employed since the quantitative analysis indicated no significant difference between the different grade levels while on the other hand negative attitudes were predominantly observed at Form 2 level in Boys' Secondary schools. This study also indicated that the relationship children foster with their peers with autism depends on school structures and the way teachers and LSAs in individual classrooms regard inclusion.