Short report: Perceptions of causes and common beliefs of autism spectrum disorder in the U.S

Publication date: February 2020Source: Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, Volume 70Author(s): Anabel Castillo, Shana R. Cohen, Jessica Miguel, Melissa F WarstadtAbstractA preliminary assessment of public perceptions about autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was conducted across the United States using Mechanical Turk, an online recruitment tool for collecting data anonymously. Participants completed a survey about their beliefs regarding causes, treatments, and general views of ASD. For example, when asked what causes ASD, most participants reported hereditary and neurological factors. Exploratory Factor Analyses (EFAs) revealed two separate two-factor subscales for causes and general views about ASD. Findings revealed ethnic differences in participants’ beliefs about Psychosocial Causes, Symptom Regulation Perceptions, and Common Beliefs. Participants that were diagnosed with or had a family member with ASD were more likely to attribute ASD to External Causes than those without those connections to ASD. Implications for policy and practice discuss how study findings might support the development of targeted ASD public awareness campaigns.
Source: Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research