Effects of autism acceptance training on explicit and implicit biases toward autism

Autism ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 136236132098489
Author(s):  
Desiree R Jones ◽  
Kilee M DeBrabander ◽  
Noah J Sasson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Training Programs ◽  
Training Condition ◽  
Mental Health Training ◽  
General Mental Health ◽  
Training Video ◽  
Implicit Biases ◽  
Autistic People ◽  
Autism Knowledge ◽  
Autistic Adults

Non-autistic adults often hold explicit and implicit biases toward autism that contribute to personal and professional challenges for autistic people. Although previous research indicates that non-autistic adults with higher autism knowledge and familiarity express more inclusionary attitudes, it remains unclear whether training programs designed to promote autism acceptance and understanding affect subsequent implicit and explicit biases toward autism. In this study, non-autistic adults ( N = 238) completed an autism acceptance training featuring factual information and engaging first-person narratives, a general mental health training not mentioning autism, or a no-training control, then responded to surveys assessing their autism knowledge, stigma, and impressions of autistic adults, and completed a novel implicit association task about autism. Non-autistic adults in the autism acceptance training condition reported more positive impressions of autistic adults, demonstrated fewer misconceptions and lower stigma about autism, endorsed higher expectations of autistic abilities, and expressed greater social interest in hypothetical and real autistic people. However, training had no effect on implicit biases, with non-autistic adults associating autism-related labels with unpleasant personal attributes regardless of training condition. These findings suggest that the autism acceptance training program in this study, designed to increase autism knowledge and familiarity among non-autistic people, holds promise for reducing explicit but not implicit biases toward autism. Lay abstract Autistic adults face prejudice from non-autistic people. They are often judged unfairly and left out of social activities because of their differences. This can make it difficult for autistic people to make friends and find jobs. Some training programs have tried to teach autistic people to act more like non-autistic people to help them gain acceptance. Fewer have focused on teaching non-autistic people how to be more autism friendly. In this study, we used a short training video that teaches people about autism. The video was created with the help of autistic adults and included clips of real autistic people. We found that non-autistic people who watched this video had better knowledge about autism and showed more autism-friendly attitudes than those who watched a video about mental health or those who did not watch any video. They were more open to having a relationship with an autistic person and had more positive beliefs about autism. However, our video did not affect people’s unconscious attitudes about autism. People in our study connected autism with unpleasant traits, even if they had watched the autism training video. This suggests that teaching non-autistic people about autism may promote more autism-friendly attitudes, but some beliefs may be harder to change.

Camouflaging in non-autistic adults is associated with poorer mental health

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Somerville ◽  
Sarah E. MacPherson ◽  
Sue Fletcher-Watson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Autistic People ◽  
Autistic Adults ◽  
The Relationship

Camouflaging is a frequently reported behaviour in autistic people, which entails the use of strategies to compensate for and mask autistic traits in social situations. Camouflaging is associated with poor mental health in autistic people. This study examined the manifestation of camouflaging in a non-autistic sample, examining the relationship between autistic traits, camouflaging, and mental health. In addition, the role of executive functions as a mechanism underpinning camouflaging was explored. Sixty-three non-autistic adults completed standardised self-report questionnaires which measured: autistic traits, mental health symptoms, and camouflaging behaviours. In addition, a subset (n=51) completed three tests of executive function measuring inhibition, working memory, and set-shifting. Multiple linear regression models were used to analyse data. Results indicated that autistic traits are not associated with mental health symptoms when controlling for camouflaging, and camouflaging predicted increased mental health symptoms. Camouflaging did not correlate with any measure of executive function. These findings have implications for understanding the relationship between autistic traits and mental health in non-autistic people and add to the growing development of theory and knowledge about the mechanism and effects of camouflaging.

scholarly journals Is social camouflaging associated with anxiety and depression in autistic adults?

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Hull ◽  
Lily Levy ◽  
Meng-Chuan Lai ◽  
K. V. Petrides ◽  
Simon Baron-Cohen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Autistic People ◽  
Autistic Adults ◽  
Anxiety Depression

Abstract Background There is inconsistent evidence for a clear pattern of association between ‘camouflaging’ (strategies used to mask and/or compensate for autism characteristics during social interactions) and mental health. Methods This study explored the relationship between self-reported camouflaging and generalised anxiety, depression, and social anxiety in a large sample of autistic adults and, for the first time, explored the moderating effect of gender, in an online survey. Results Overall, camouflaging was associated with greater symptoms of generalised anxiety, depression, and social anxiety, although only to a small extent beyond the contribution of autistic traits and age. Camouflaging more strongly predicted generalised and social anxiety than depression. No interaction between camouflaging and gender was found. Limitations These results cannot be generalised to autistic people with intellectual disability, or autistic children and young people. The sample did not include sufficient numbers of non-binary people to run separate analyses; therefore, it is possible that camouflaging impacts mental health differently in this population. Conclusions The findings suggest that camouflaging is a risk factor for mental health problems in autistic adults without intellectual disability, regardless of gender. We also identified levels of camouflaging at which risk of mental health problems is highest, suggesting clinicians should be particularly aware of mental health problems in those who score at or above these levels.

scholarly journals Barriers to healthcare for autistic adults: Consequences & policy implications. A cross-sectional study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Doherty ◽  
Stuart D Neilson ◽  
Jane D O'Sullivan ◽  
Laura Carravallah ◽  
Mona Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Adverse Health ◽  
Adverse Health Outcomes ◽  
Clinic Appointment ◽  
Autistic People ◽  
Autistic Adults

AbstractBackgroundAutistic people experience significantly poorer physical and mental health along with reduced life expectancy.AimTo identify self-reported barriers to primary care by autistic adults compared to parents of autistic children and non-autistic adults and link these barriers to self-reported adverse health consequences.Design and SettingFollowing consultation with the autistic community at an autistic conference, Autscape, a quantitative and qualitative survey was developed.MethodThe self-report survey was administered online through social media platforms.ResultsThe 57-item online survey was completed by 507 autistic adults, 196 parents of autistic children and 157 control subjects. 79.7% of autistic adults, 52.8% of parents and 36.5% of controls reported difficulty visiting a GP. The highest-rated barriers by autistic adults were deciding if symptoms warrant a GP visit (72.2%), difficulty making appointments by telephone (61.9%), not feeling understood (55.8%), difficulty communicating with their doctor (53.1%) and the waiting room environment (50.5%).Autistic adults reported a preference for online or text based appointment booking, facility to email in advance the reason for consultation, first or last clinic appointment and a quiet place to wait.Increased adverse health outcomes reported by autistic adults correlated with difficulty attending, including untreated physical and mental health conditions, not attending specialist referral or screening programmes, requiring more extensive treatment or surgery due to late presentations, and untreated potentially life threatening conditions.ConclusionReduction of healthcare inequalities for autistic people requires that healthcare providers understand autistic perspectives and communication needs. Adjustments for autism specific needs are as necessary as ramps for wheelchair users.How this fits inAdverse health outcomes are common among autistic people and so it is important to understand how we can promote access to primary care.This cross sectional study indicates that 79.7% of autistic patients (compared to 36.5% of controls) reported difficulty visiting a GP.Common barriers were: deciding if symptoms warrant a GP visit, difficulty using the telephone to book appointments, not feeling understood and difficulty communicating with their doctor.Common suggestions to promote access included: online or text based appointment booking facility, emailing in advance the reason for consultation, providing first or last clinic appointment and having a quiet place to wait.

Mental Health Training Programs for Secondary School Teachers: A Systematic Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 489-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Anderson ◽  
Aliza Werner-Seidler ◽  
Catherine King ◽  
Aimée Gayed ◽  
Samuel B. Harvey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
Training Programs ◽  
Mental Health Training ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Health Training

scholarly journals Interviewing autistic adults: Adaptations to support recall in police, employment, and healthcare interviews

Autism ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 1506-1520 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jade Eloise Norris ◽  
Laura Crane ◽  
Katie Maras
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Semantic Knowledge ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Employment Interviews ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Autistic People ◽  
Autistic Adults

Recalling specific past experiences is critical for most formal social interactions, including when being interviewed for employment, as a witness or defendant in the criminal justice system, or as a patient during a clinical consultation. Such interviews can be difficult for autistic adults under standard open questioning, yet applied research into effective methods to facilitate autistic adults’ recall is only recently beginning to emerge. The current study tested the efficacy of different prompting techniques to support autistic adults’ recall of specific personal memories; 30 autistic and 30 typically developing adults (intelligence quotients > 85) were asked to recall specific instances from their past, relevant to criminal justice system, healthcare, and employment interviews. Questions comprised ‘open questions’, ‘semantic prompting’ (where semantic knowledge was used to prompt specific episodic retrieval) and ‘visual–verbal prompting’ (a pie-diagram with prompts to recall specific details, for example, who, what, and where). Half the participants received the questions in advance. Consistent with previous research, autistic participants reported memories with reduced specificity. For both groups, visual–verbal prompting support improved specificity and episodic relevance, while semantic prompting also aided recall for employment questions (but not health or criminal justice system). Findings offer new practical insight for interviewers to facilitate communication with typically developing and autistic adults. Lay abstract During many types of interviews (e.g. in employment, with the police, and in healthcare), we need to recall detailed memories of specific events, which can be difficult for autistic people in response to commonly used questions. This is especially because these tend to be open questions (i.e. very broad). Autistic people have disproportionately high rates of physical and mental health conditions, are more likely to interact with police, and are the most underemployed disability group. However, interviewers are often unsure about how to adapt their communication for autistic people. Our research tested whether different types of prompts enabled autistic people to recall specific memories (memories of a single event within one day). Participants were asked about situations relating to witnessing a crime (e.g. at the bank), physical or mental health scenarios and employment interviews (e.g. a time you’ve met a deadline). We tested the following: Open questions: basic questions only (e.g. ‘tell me about a time you went to the cinema’), Semantic prompting: a general prompt (e.g. ‘do you enjoy going to the cinema?’) before asking for a specific instance (‘tell me about a time you went to the cinema?’), Visual–verbal prompting: asking participants to recall when it happened, who was there, the actions that occurred, the setting, and any objects. With visual–verbal prompting, autistic and typically developing participants’ memories were more specific and detailed. Semantic prompting was also effective for employment questions. Our study shows that autistic people can recall specific memories when they are appropriately prompted. Visual–verbal prompting may be effective across different situations.

scholarly journals The Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental Health of Autistic Adults in the UK: A Mixed-Methods Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Bundy ◽  
William Mandy ◽  
Laura Crane ◽  
Hannah Belcher ◽  
Laura Bourne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Autistic People ◽  
Autistic Adults ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with mental health declines in the general population. Those with pre-existing vulnerabilities are known to be at particular risk. This may include autistic people, who have high levels of mental and physical health problems. Yet little is currently known about the impact of the pandemic on autistic people. Using an online survey, this mixed-methods study gathered data from 133 autistic adults in the United Kingdom (UK), about their experiences of the pandemic in relation to their mental health. Results indicated that the mental health impact of the pandemic on autistic adults was variable. A sizeable minority reported improvements in their mental health associated with COVID-19 restrictions. By contrast, most participants described an overall negative impact their levels of depression, anxiety and stress. Analysis of qualitative data using thematic analysis highlighted four themes that contributed to mental health changes in autistic adults: (i) adjusting to changes to the social world, (ii) living with uncertainty, (iii) disruptions to self-regulation, and (iv) barriers to fulfilling basic needs. Based on these findings, we discuss recommendations about how to support autistic people; both as the pandemic persists and once normality ensues.

scholarly journals Emotional self-awareness in autism: A meta-analysis of group differences and developmental effects

Autism ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 136236132096430
Author(s):  
Charlotte F Huggins ◽  
Gemma Donnan ◽  
Isobel M Cameron ◽  
Justin HG Williams
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Autistic People ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Autistic Adults

Emotional self-awareness is increasingly suggested to be an area of difficulty in autism that may predict socioemotional outcomes for this population. However, whether emotional self-awareness is consistently diminished in autism across age and methodology remains unclear. We systematically reviewed 47 papers measuring emotional self-awareness in autistic ( n = 1387) and non-autistic ( n = 1433) participants. Most studies relied on self-report. Of studies testing for group differences, the majority (32/41) found significantly poorer emotional self-awareness in autism. Meta-analyses of self-report measures found that emotional self-awareness was significantly poorer in autism ( d = 1.16). However, when examining age groups individually, autistic children of age 12 years and under were not significantly different from their peers ( d = 0.03). Instead, difficulties emerged during adolescence ( d = 0.63) and increased with age ( d = 1.16 – 1.58). The pattern of emotional self-awareness difficulties being more common in autism, and worsening with age is similar to the development of mental health difficulties in autism. However, findings rely on self-perception and so may reflect poor self-beliefs of socioemotional competence. We propose that negative self-beliefs in autistic populations may account for findings of low emotional self-awareness. Lay abstract Autistic people are thought to have difficulties with identifying and understanding their own emotions. This is referred to as emotional self-awareness. It is important to study emotional self-awareness as people who are more able to understand their own emotions, whether they are autistic or not, are more able to respond to them appropriately, as well as to identify them in other people. It has not yet been confirmed whether autistic people have difficulties with emotional self-awareness, or if any reported difficulties are actually due to the way in which emotional self-awareness is measured in autistic people. If these difficulties do exist, it is also not known when these difficulties emerge. In this research, we reviewed 47 existing studies that measured emotional self-awareness in autistic and non-autistic adults and children. We also compared studies that measured emotional self-awareness in different ways. We found that autistic adults did seem to have poorer emotional self-awareness compared to their neurotypical peers. However, this was not the case with autistic children of age 12 years and below. Instead, differences in emotional self-awareness only seemed to emerge during adolescence. Moreover, these difficulties seemed to increase with age. These results suggest that difficulties with emotional self-awareness may not be inherent in autism. Instead, they may emerge alongside the greater social and mental health difficulties that are experienced by many autistic people during adolescence. We therefore suggest that it is important to find out more about, and subsequently support, the emotional self-awareness difficulties that autistic adolescents may encounter.

National Institute of Mental Health Training Programs in Aging

1970 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. E. Anderson ◽  
M. L. Blank
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Training Programs ◽  
Mental Health Training ◽  
Health Training
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