Breaking the Practice: Negative Attitudes Towards Autism

Background There is little existing research on attitudes towards autism in an undergraduate population. This study aims to assess implicit attitudes (IA) towards individuals with autism while observing gender differences on empathy scores and knowledge of autism with an undergraduate population. Method The current study involves 27 females and 26 males. The Autism Awareness Scale measured knowledge towards autism, the Toronto empathy questionnaire measured empathy. The Implicit Association Test measured IA based on reaction times. Results No differences were found between males and females on empathy or autism knowledge. Similarly, negative IA correlated with lower empathy, autism knowledge and frequency of contact but non-significantly. Conclusion This study contrasts with previous research indicating females score higher on autism knowledge and empathy. Findings indicate more research is needed on the impact of higher levels of empathy, knowledge and frequency of contact on positive IA towards individuals with autism within the undergraduate population