Abstract
This study investigated the effects of labels on preschool teachers’ attitudes (i.e. openness) towards the strengths and difficulties of autistic preschool students in the mainstream setting. It also examined the differential effect of disclosure of a specific or a generic label, and the teacher-related factors influencing their attitude. Sample consisted of 106 mainstream preschool teachers (mean age = 30.37 years, SD = 8.85) from Singapore randomly assigned to one of three groups: “Autism Spectrum Disorder Label”, “Special Needs Label”, or the “No Label” group. Participants read a total of 15 vignettes depicting characteristics of autistic preschool students as strengths, difficulties, and neutral behaviours. They then rated their openness towards the featured student and complete a measure of their autism knowledge. Results indicated that the disclosure of a student’s special needs label improved teachers’ attitudes towards the difficulties faced by autistic students compared to when no label was disclosed. Teachers’ knowledge of autism and whether teachers had experience teaching autistic students predicted the openness rating. This study has implications for parents regarding diagnosis disclosure, for the whole educational system when designing diagnosis and information transfer and the importance of professional training among early childhood educators.
Résumé
Cette étude a examiné les effets des étiquettes sur les attitudes des enseignants du préscolaire (c'est-à-dire l'ouverture) envers les forces et les difficultés des élèves autistes du préscolaire dans le cadre ordinaire. Elle a également examiné l'effet différentiel de la divulgation d'une étiquette spécifique ou générique, et les facteurs liés aux enseignants qui influencent leur attitude. L'échantillon était composé de 106 enseignants préscolaires ordinaires (âge moyen = 30,37 ans, SD = 8,85) de Singapour assignés au hasard à l'un des trois groupes : « Étiquette de trouble du spectre autistique », « Étiquette de besoins spéciaux » ou le groupe « Pas d'étiquette ». Les participants ont lu un total de 15 vignettes décrivant les caractéristiques des élèves préscolaires autistes comme les forces, les difficultés et les comportements neutres. Ils ont ensuite évalué leur ouverture envers l'élève vedette et complété une mesure de leurs connaissances sur l'autisme. Les résultats ont indiqué que la divulgation de l'étiquette des besoins spéciaux d'un élève améliorait les attitudes des enseignants à l'égard des difficultés rencontrées par les élèves autistes par rapport au moment où aucune étiquette n'était divulguée. Les connaissances des enseignants sur l'autisme et leur expérience dans l'enseignement aux élèves autistes ont prédit le taux d'ouverture. Cette étude a des implications pour les parents concernant la divulgation du diagnostic, pour l'ensemble du système éducatif lors de la conception du diagnostic et du transfert d'informations et l'importance de la formation professionnelle des éducateurs de la petite enfance.
Resumen
Este estudio investigó los efectos de las etiquetas en las actitudes de los maestros de preescolar (es decir, apertura) hacia las fortalezas y dificultades de los estudiantes de preescolar autistas en el entorno general. También examinó el efecto diferencial de la divulgación de una etiqueta específica o genérica, y los factores relacionados con los docentes que influyen en su actitud. La muestra consistió en 106 maestros de preescolar convencionales (edad media = 30,37 años, SD = 8,85) de Singapur asignados aleatoriamente a uno de tres grupos: "Etiqueta de trastorno del espectro autista", "Etiqueta de necesidades especiales" o el grupo "Sin etiqueta". Los participantes leyeron un total de 15 viñetas que mostraban las características de los niños preescolares autistas como fortalezas, dificultades y comportamientos neutrales. Luego calificaron su apertura hacia el estudiante destacado y completaron una medida de su conocimiento sobre el autismo. Los resultados indicaron que la divulgación de la etiqueta de necesidades especiales de un estudiante mejoró las actitudes de los maestros hacia las dificultades que enfrentan los estudiantes autistas en comparación con cuando no se reveló la etiqueta. El conocimiento de los maestros sobre el autismo y si los maestros tenían experiencia enseñando a estudiantes autistas predijo la calificación de apertura. Este estudio tiene implicaciones para los padres en cuanto a la divulgación del diagnóstico, para todo el sistema educativo a la hora de diseñar el diagnóstico y la transferencia de información y la importancia de la formación profesional de los educadores de la primera infancia.
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Notes
Note on language: The APA recommends the use of person-first language (i.e. person with autism).
However, many autistic self-advocates argue that such language is stigmatising and does not reflect their experience of autism being an integral part of who they are, hence they prefer identity-first language (i.e. autistic person) (Bury et al., 2020; ). To respect this preference, identity-first language is used throughout this paper.
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Acknowledgements
This study was supported by the Singapore Children’s Society Research Grant. All authors declare no conflict of interest. The data that support the findings of this study will be available from the NIE Data Repository.
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Nah, YH., Tan, P.SP. The Effect of Labels on Preschool Teachers’ Perception Towards Strengths and Difficulties in Autistic Students. IJEC 56, 79–97 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-023-00347-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-023-00347-0