The Analysis of Korean Urban High School Students' Awareness on Autism Spectrum Disorder

Background:  

The prevalence of autism has increased precipitously in the past 40 years. As it is not rare to encounter individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in schools and communities, more enlightenment regarding autism awareness and integration is needed amongst people.

Previous study suggests that individuals with ASD are at greater risk for both traditional and cyber bullying victimization and perpetration than their typically developing peers (Little, 2002).

The general consensus in school is that it is underprepared to work with students with disabilities, particularly those with ASD. Despite the fact that inclusive education is widely used in many schools these days, not all the non-disabled students have the correct understanding of ASD. Unfortunately, autistic students often experience social isolation even when physical inclusion is provided. It is essential for non-disabled students to understand the symptoms of ASD and to form a welcoming attitude towards autistic students so that they do not get discriminated or excluded in peer groups and community. 

Objectives:  

The purpose of this study is to find out how much knowledge Korean urban high school students have about ASD and to analyze the effect of how the experiences on inclusive education affect their awareness on ASD. 

Methods:  

In this study, 421 subjects (boys: 131, girls: 290) were selected from two high schools located in Seoul, Korea. The finalized survey is constructed in three parts: demographic data, general knowledge about ASD, and raising awareness on ASD through inclusive education. There are 27 questions in total and the answers are measured on 5-point Likert agreement scale.

Results:  

The survey results clearly indicated the lack of knowledge of the students in general. The result showed that the awareness and acceptance level is meaningfully higher in the students who were in inclusive education and who had the experience of ASD related community services. However, the knowledge level on ASD does not show differences whether the respondents have the above experience or not. 

Conclusions:  

Conclusion: The students with ASD who are in inclusive education classroom need to have more meaningful interaction opportunities with their peers as participating in group activities including lunch and recess.  For this, constant effort is needed to raise the awareness on ASD. Adding on to experiencing inclusive education, ASD awareness education will present much more positive progress. It is necessary for high school students to know more about ASD to reduce the bias against autistic students. Considering the prevalence of smart phones and social network systems among adolescents, dissemination of knowledge through SNS and smart phone applications would be very effective. Along with inclusive education, the diverse programs which enable autistic students and non-disabled students interact with each other are needed. Not only will these interactions help the disabled students, but also will help promote the non-disabled students’ personal growth by understanding their peers’ difficulties and ultimately accepting them into their circle of friends.