The effect of school exposure and personal contact on attitudes towards bullying and autism in schools: A cohort study with a control group.

Autism : the International Journal of Research and Practice
Anna CookNaomi Winstone

Abstract

Autistic children are more likely than non-autistic children to be bullied at school. This study therefore explored whether the kind of school setting and the level of personal contact with autistic people can affect children's attitudes towards bullying and autism. Surveys were completed at the beginning and end of the school year by 775 children aged 11-12 years, from six schools: three with specialist centres for autistic children and three without. Participants read stories describing bullying situations, then provided their views in relation to the story and in relation to autism. Children in schools with centres increased their feelings of anger, pity, sadness and shame in response to the bullying situations. In contrast, children in schools with no centre showed less sociable responses to bullying, except in response to a story describing an autistic child, being excluded by classmates. Furthermore, children who increased the time they spent with autistic individuals over the course of the year showed a greater rise in positive attitudes towards autistic people. This highlights the need for both personal contact and an inclusive school environment, to improve attitudes towards autism and reduce tolerance for bullying.

References

Jan 1, 1991·Journal of Clinical Epidemiology·G R LangleyJ E Till
May 16, 1998·BMJ : British Medical Journal·T V Perneger
Feb 1, 2003·Journal of the American Geriatrics Society·UNKNOWN American Geriatrics Society Ethics Committee
Mar 12, 2004·Annual Review of Psychology·T F Pettigrew
Jun 15, 2004·Research in Developmental Disabilities·Jonathan M CampbellChristine A Marino
Jul 24, 2004·Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology : the Official Journal for the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, American Psychological Association, Division 53·William CopelandJames J Hudziak
Jan 9, 2008·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·Rupert BrownSabina Cehajic
Dec 10, 2009·The British Journal of Developmental Psychology·Sian E JonesAndrew Livingstone
Aug 3, 2010·Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders·Connie KasariErin Rotheram-Fuller
Apr 2, 2011·Autism : the International Journal of Research and Practice·Neil Humphrey, Wendy Symes
Dec 21, 2011·Child Development·Tina MaltiLuciano Gasser
Apr 27, 2013·Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders·Jessica J Staniland, Mitchell K Byrne
Feb 19, 2014·Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders·Sophia Mavropoulou, Georgios D Sideridis
Sep 17, 2015·Psychonomic Bulletin & Review·Angélique O J CramerEric-Jan Wagenmakers
Oct 19, 2017·Autism : the International Journal of Research and Practice·Noah J Sasson, Kerrianne E Morrison
May 1, 2015·International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology : IJCHP·Spencer C EvansGeoffrey M Reed

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Jan 26, 2021·Frontiers in Psychology·Víctor González-CalatayudPaz Prendes-Espinosa

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Software Mentioned

Power

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Autism

Autism spectrum disorder is associated with challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, and often accompanied by sensory sensitivities and medical issues. Here is the latest research on autism.

Related Papers

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Danielle DeNigrisKristen Gillespie-Lynch
Exceptional Children
G DunlapA L Egel
La Revue du praticien
Bertrand Chevallier, Patricia Refinetti
BMJ : British Medical Journal
J Dawkins
© 2021 Meta ULC. All rights reserved