Evaluation of teachers' knowledge and attitudes regarding the school inclusion of autistic children: Validation of a brief assessment toolkit.

BACKGROUND: Teachers' level of knowledge regarding autism and their attitudes towards inclusion are major levers for the successful schooling of autistic students. However, there are currently insufficient validated tools for evaluating these two concepts among teachers that are adapted to the French context and to the constraints of the classroom setting. AIMS: This study was designed to test both the validity of The Autism Knowledge Screening Scale (AKSS) and of the Autism Attitude Scale for Teachers (AAST) among French teachers. SAMPLE: Our final sample consisted of 307 French teachers (50.5% primary school teachers and 49.5% secondary school teachers). METHODS: First, confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to test the two initial factor structures and an exploratory factor analysis was conducted regarding the AKSS. Second, criterion validity was assessed for each of the two scales. RESULTS: Concerning knowledge of autism, a two-factor model (8 items) explaining 53% of the variance was observed. The first factor represented knowledge about aetiology and the second represented knowledge about symptoms. Concerning attitudes towards autism, a one-factor model (14 items) exhibited good model fit (χ2 /df = 1.71, RMSEA = .048, AGFI = .979, SRMR = .068, CFI = .987, NNFI = .984). As expected, participants who were specialized teachers, had training, and a high degree of contact with autism had more knowledge (regarding aetiology but not regarding symptoms) and more positive attitudes. CONCLUSIONS: This study validated two quick-to-use tools for making an initial diagnosis of teachers' knowledge and attitudes regarding the school inclusion of autistic children. The use of these tools could help to fine-tune the content of training programs for teachers and test their efficacy, particularly in France where the inclusion of autistic children is still far from international standards.

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

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.

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

This study examines the public stigma of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by their school-aged peers, focusing on both explicit and implicit attitudes. The twofold aims were to provide a broader picture of public stigma and to explore age-related changes in attitudes. Students completed an explicit measure of the public stigma and an implicit measure of attitudes after watching a video displaying children with ASD vs. typically developing (TD) children. Both measures showed more negative perceptions towards children with ASD compared to TD children. However, while explicit attitudes improved with age, implicit attitudes remained constantly negative. This finding suggests that both explicit and implicit attitudes should be considered when promoting an inclusive climate at school.

Supporting Parents of a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder: The French Awakening.

After being wrongfully blamed for their child's disturbances, French parents of a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are now perceived as essential partners of care professionals. This shift in perspective has encouraged the development of parent training programs in the field of autism. In this paper, we present three programs currently implemented in France for parents of a child with ASD. We investigated their social validity, from the parents' perspective. All three programs showed good social validity: attendance rate was good and parents were satisfied. In France, like elsewhere, more parents should be given the opportunity to participate in such programs to help them deal with the specific challenges of raising a child with ASD.

An ecological exploration of individual, family, and environmental contributions to parental quality of life in autism.

The aim of this study was to assess the respective weight of individual and environmental factors on quality of life (Qol) of parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Few studies have investigated both individual and environmental predictors of Qol but to our knowledge, none of them has considered the child's and parents' characteristics, family context and services available in the same design. Participants were 115 parents (73 mothers and 42 fathers) of children with ASD aged from 3 to 10 years. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to investigate predictors of parental Qol among child-related, parent-related and environmental factors. Findings indicate that a higher Qol is associated with a good quality of interaction in marital and parent-grandparents dyads, no family medical history and access to psycho-educational interventions for the child, regardless of child's developmental quotient, comorbidity, parent sex and working time. This final model best fits the data and explains 31.5% of the variance of parents' Qol. This study highlights that it is crucial to consider both individual and environmental variables as potential protective factors of parental adjustment. An ecological approach seems to be relevant to understand which parenting resources should be targeted in support programs.

Emotional reactivity: Beware its involvement in traffic accidents.

BACKGROUND: Reducing risk attributable to traffic accidents is a public health challenge. Research into risk factors in the area is now moving towards identification of the psychological factors involved, particularly emotional states. The aim of this study was to evaluate the link between emotional reactivity and responsibility in road traffic accidents. We hypothesized that the more one's emotional reactivity is disturbed, the greater the likelihood of being responsible for a traffic accident. METHODS: This case-control study was based on a sample of 955 drivers injured in a motor vehicle crash. Responsibility levels were determined with a standardized method adapted from the quantitative Robertson and Drummer crash responsibility instrument. Emotional reactivity was assessed with the MATHYS. RESULTS: Hierarchical cluster analysis discriminated four distinctive driver's emotional reactivity profiles: basic emotional reactivity (54%), mild emotional hyper-reactivity (29%), emotional hyper-reactivity (11%) and emotional hypo-reactivity (6%). Drivers who demonstrated emotional hypo-reactivity had a 2.3-fold greater risk of being responsible for a traffic accident than those with basic emotional reactivity. CONCLUSION: Drivers' responsibility in traffic accidents depends on their emotional status. The latter can change the ability of drivers, modifying their behavior and thus increasing their propensity to exhibit risk behavior and to cause traffic accidents.