Autistic and Non-Autistic Undergraduates’ Responses to a Textbook Vignette on Autism

Background. Autistic college students’ well-being may be negatively affected by deficit-focused portrayals of autism in assigned material.Objective. This study investigated how autistic and non-autistic undergraduates responded to an abnormal psychology textbook vignette about an autistic child.Method. Autistic (n = 86) and non-autistic (n = 86) college students read the vignette, rated how offensive, stigmatizing, and useful it was, and provided state self-esteem ratings. Results. Autistic students rated the vignette as more offensive and stigmatizing and as less useful than did non-autistic students. Additionally, more autistic than non-autistic students reported lower self-esteem after reading the vignette compared to before reading it. Conclusions. These findings highlight potential harms of deficit-focused portrayals of autism in educational materials and underscore the need for more respectful representations.Teaching Implications. Instructors should recognize that autistic students may interpret some textbook portrayals of autism negatively, and they should assign materials that highlight autistic strengths as well as challenges.