Campbell Receives Grant to Study Student Attitudes Toward Autism

Due to treatment success and federal legislation, children with autism are
increasingly being included in regular education settings. Unfortunately, they are
often viewed negatively by their classmates making the adjustment difficult for both students and teachers. A University of Georgia education researcher is now beginning a new study to find out whether those negative perceptions can be altered.

Jonathan Campbell, an assistant professor of educational psychology in UGA's College of Education , has received a grant from the Organization of Autism Research (OAR) to determine the best way to introduce an autistic child into a middle school education setting.

“In a previous study, we found that third and fourth graders responded more positively toward a child with autism when they received information that explained that autism was a disability affecting the brain,” said Campbell.

He hopes to answer questions concerning the dissemination of information about autism to middle school children -- namely, the type and amount of specific information that should be shared with classmates and who should present that information.

Campbell expects to address these questions in his study, “The New Friendship Study, Part III: The Influence of Information on Middle School Students' Attitudes and Behavioral Intentions Towards a Peer with Autism.” His research is expected to involve 800 middle school students in Oconee , Madison and Jackson counties.

“We are interested in extending our study to middle school children to see if their initial attitudes differ when provided different types of information about autism from different sources, such as a parent or teacher,” said Campbell .

Eventually, Campbell plans to produce guidelines for parents, teachers and education professionals to be used during transitions of children with autism to regular classrooms. This information will be guided by prior findings and whether the benefits of disclosing information hold true for older children.

Campbell 's proposal was one of two selected for the $30,000 grant out of 26 submitted by researchers and autism professionals across the United States.

The number of students ages 6-21 served with a primary disability of autism has risen dramatically from 1,916 in 2000 to 3,956 in 2003, according to data from the state of Georgia's Division for Exceptional Students.

“This phenomenon is similar to what has been reported in other states, such as California and Minnesota,” said Campbell. “We don't know what accounts for this growth in children identified with autism. Some professionals argue that the increase is due to environmental variables, such as toxins, while others state that the increase is largely accounted for by improved methods of identification and increased autism awareness by health care professionals, teachers, and parents.”

Monday, May 28, 2004

WRITER: Kristen Heflin , 706/583-0811, heflin@uga.edu

CONTACT: Jonathan Campbell , 706/542-5108, jcampbel@coe.uga.edu