Comparing Self-Perceptions,Meta-Perceptions,and Peer Judgments of the Academic Experience of Autistic and Non-Autistic University Students

Abstract

Background:

Previous research has shown that, when presented with brief samples of behavior, non-autistic university students judge autistic peers less favorably than non-autistic peers on measures of academic experience (e.g., motivation to study, academic success, average grades). The current research aimed to determine whether these judgments accurately reflect the academic experiences of the autistic students, or represent a bias of non-autistic perceivers. We also investigated whether autistic students are aware of how they are perceived by their peers.

Methods:

Nineteen autistic and 19 non-autistic students (stimulus participants) were video recorded while completing a questionnaire about their academic experience. They self-reported their level of academic success, motivation to study, happiness at university, and average grades. They also reported their meta-perceptions about the same measures. Recorded videos were presented to 30 new non-autistic students (perceivers), who were asked to judge each stimulus participants’ academic success, motivation to study, happiness at university, and grades.

Results:

Autistic stimulus participants were rated less positively than non-autistic stimulus participants on all measures except motivation to study. Comparison with participants’ self-reports showed that perceivers’ judgments had a strong negative bias for ratings of autistic stimulus participants, but this bias was also present for non-autistic stimulus participants on some measures. Comparison of perceiver perceptions with stimulus participants’ meta-perceptions showed that neither group of participants was aware how they were perceived, and the autistic group expected to be perceived in an overly positive way.

Conclusions:

We replicated previous research showing autistic people are perceived less favorably by non-autistic others in relation to their academic experience. As the perceptions were not accurate, we suggest this reflects a persistent bias in the perception of autistic people. Nevertheless, over time this bias could genuinely impact academic outcomes of autistic students, if it leads to exclusion from social and peer learning opportunities.

Community Brief

Why is this an important issue?

Recent evidence suggests that autistic university students’ academic outcomes are poorer than those of non-autistic students. Other research has shown that autistic students tend to be judged more negatively by their non-autistic peers based on brief samples of behavior, including in relation to their academic experience. Therefore, it is not clear whether these perceptions accurately reflect the reality of academic experience for autistic students, or whether they constitute a persistent bias.

What was the purpose of this study?

This study aimed to determine whether the less positive perceptions of autistic students’ academic experience are accurate, or whether they reflect a bias on the part of their non-autistic peers.

What did the researchers do?

The researchers video recorded autistic and non-autistic students while writing about their academic experience. The students reported various aspects of their experience, including their levels of academic success, motivation to study, happiness at university, and their average grades. They also reported how they thought their peers would rate them on the same measures. The video clips were then shown to a new group of non-autistic student participants, who were asked to judge them on the same measures.

What were the results of the study?

Autistic students were judged more negatively than non-autistic students for all judgment types, apart from motivation to study. Comparisons with the students’ own reports showed that judgments were not accurate: they substantially underestimated the academic experience of autistic students. This bias was also apparent for perceptions of non-autistic students for some measures. The autistic students expected to be perceived positively by others so apparently were unaware of the negative bias.

What do these findings add to what was already known?

The results suggest that the less positive perceptions do not accurately reflect the autistic individuals’ experience but instead represent a bias on the part of the perceivers. The finding highlights an important social barrier that might impact autistic student success at university insofar as these negative perceptions could lead to exclusion from opportunities to socialize and learn with peers.

What are potential weaknesses in the study?

Autistic and non-autistic participants in our study reported relatively positive experiences at university, including high average grades, which contrasts with previous research suggesting that autistic students may have poorer outcomes at university. This means that we do not know how the findings translate to autistic students who have poorer experience at university. Nevertheless, it is striking that even in our sample, for those who appear to be coping well at university, the less positive peer perceptions did persist.

How will these findings help autistic adults now or in the future?

These findings help raise awareness of the negative social judgments operating within university settings, revealing them to be rooted in bias rather than accurate. Further work is needed to identify ways of altering biased perceptions to promote inclusion in university settings.