The effect of diagnostic labels on openness of university students towards peers with autism spectrum disorder in Singapore

Abstract

This study aimed to examine whether disclosure of a student’s Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Special Needs (SN) diagnostic label would affect the openness level by neurotypical university peers in a university setting. The sample consisted of 121 university students (43 males, 78 females; age range = 18 - 26) currently studying in Singapore. Three vignettes containing descriptions of a student exhibiting challenging behaviours in different university settings were developed and then presented in a randomised order in an online survey. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions, where participants were told that the students in the vignettes are identified as having ASD or SN; or the control group, where participants were told that the students in the vignettes are not identified with any known diagnostic label. Participants were asked to rate their openness towards the featured student and also complete a survey measuring their ASD knowledge. The results indicated that university students reported a greater level of openness toward vignettes characters with the ASD label and SN label as compared to vignettes characters with no label. However, there was no significant difference in openness rating between vignette characters with ASD and SN label. Knowledge of ASD was found to be a significant predictor of openness towards the student. This study may have implications for individuals with ASD in universities to consider disclosing their ASD diagnosis to the people around them and at the same time, underscore the importance of greater public education on ASD and SN.