Evaluating the effectiveness of an intervention program to influence attitudes of students towards peers with disabilities

J Autism Dev Disord. 2014 Mar;44(3):572-83. doi: 10.1007/s10803-013-1908-6.

Abstract

In this study we examine the effectiveness of an intervention program to influence attitudes of elementary school students towards peers with intellectual, physical and severe physical and intellectual disabilities. A quasi-experimental longitudinal study was designed with an experimental group and a control group, both comprising two rural schools. An intervention program was developed for kindergarten (n(experimental) = 22, n(control) = 31) and elementary school students without disabilities (n(experimental) = 91, n(control) = 127) (age range 4-12 years old). This intervention consisted of a 3 weeks education project comprising six lessons about disabilities. The Acceptance Scale for Kindergarten-revised and the Attitude Survey to Inclusive Education were used to measure attitudes at three moments: prior to the start of the intervention, after the intervention and 1 year later. The outcomes of the multilevel analysis showed positive, immediate effects on attitudes of kindergarten students, but limited effects on elementary school students' attitudes.

MeSH terms

  • Attitude to Health*
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Disabled Persons*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Peer Group*
  • Program Evaluation
  • Schools
  • Students / psychology*