Understanding and Reducing Endorsement of Stereotypes of Autism: An Intervention Using Counterstereotypic Exemplars

Background:

There is currently a paucity of knowledge around societal issues relevant to autism. In particular,

stakeholder groups are extremely dissatisfied with the lack of research on improving societal

attitudes towards individuals with autism (Pellicano et al., 2014). Examination of media

representations suggests that a negative and inaccurate characterisation of autism is perpetuated

(Jones & Harwood, 2009; Huws & Jones, 2011) and this is likely to influence societal stereotypes of

individuals with autism. However, before research can evaluate potential interventions for changing

public perceptions of autism, a greater understanding of the nature and contents of societal

stereotypes of autism is needed.

Objectives:  

This research aimed to evaluate (Study 1) and subsequently reduce (Study 2) endorsement of

negative stereotypic traits associated with individuals with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) via

exposure to video clips of individuals who display characteristics that counter negative aspects of the

autism stereotype (i.e., who are counterstereotypic) autism stereotype.

Methods:

Study 1: 298 volunteers completed an online survey; 164 did not have a family member or close

friend with ASC, did not have ASC themselves and had lived in the UK for five years or more.

Responses of these 164 individuals were analysed.

Study 2: Sixty-six undergraduate and post-graduate students were randomly allocated to either the

experimental group or the control group. Participants in the experimental group watched video

clips of five individuals who were counterstereotypic on 4-key traits identified in Study 1 – poor

social skills, introverted and withdrawn, poor communication, difficult personality or behaviour.

Participants in the control group watched video clips of wildlife programmes. Participants then rated

their endorsement of the 10 most frequently reported traits associated with ASC identified in Study

1. Demand characteristics were avoided by presenting this phase as an ostensibly separate study,

which was validated via a funnel de-brief.

Results:

Study 1: found that the societal stereotype of ASC was predominantly negative. The 10 most

frequently reported traits, in order, were poor social skills; being introverted and withdrawn; poor

communication; difficult personality or behaviour; poor emotional intelligence; special abilities; high

intelligence; awkward; obsessive; low intelligence.

Study 2: found that exposure to counterstereotypic exemplars successfully reduced endorsement

of the frequently reported negative stereotypic traits tackled by the intervention compared to

participants in the control condition, though stereotype endorsement was not reduced for all

stereotypic traits assessed.

Conclusions:  

This study reports the content of the societal stereotype of individuals with ASC in the UK.

General knowledge of the characteristics of ASD was poor; the only characteristic that could be

identified by over half of respondents was poor social skills. We demonstrated that it is possible to

tackle endorsement of negative stereotypic traits via exposure to individuals with ASC displaying

counterstereotypic behaviour. In future it will be important to tackle endorsement of the entire

range of stereotypic characteristics of ASC in order to reduce prejudice and improve attitudes

towards group members. This will likely improve the life chances of those with ASC.