College Students’ Perceptions of Peers with Autism

Research on attitudes toward college students with high-functioning autism (HFA) in college settings produced mixed findings. This study builds on prior research by examining the affective and cognitive attitudes toward vignette characters with and without an autism label. Students from two public Southern California Universities (n = 712) responded to a counterbalanced order of three vignette stories with typical college scenarios with a peer with or without HFA. Female students had more negative affective attitudes than male students but less negative cognitive attitudes. Students with personal or professional experience had more positive attitudes, while Asian students had more negative attitudes. Results of the current study may provide guidance on improving peer attitudes toward college students with HFA.