Koreans’ beliefs, as revealed by online searches, regarding the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder

• In Event: Poster Session 05
  In Poster Session: PS 05 Topic - Developmental Disabilities

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects people’s repetitive behaviors and sensory abilities as well as social abilities. As the name ‘ASD’ implies, there are wide range and diversity of symptoms of the disorder. Despite the increasing number of studies regarding the disorder, social stigma, prejudice, and stereotypes still exist today. Due to the fact that stereotypes and prejudices can result in misdiagnosis or even failure to acknowledge the disorder itself, it is crucial to touch upon these kinds of aspects for the sake of delivering accurate understanding of the mental disorder. This study compares Korean society’s general perception of ASD and stereotypes regarding the disorder with the experts’ research findings. Patterns such as misunderstood symptoms, strongest stereotypical views toward ASD, and the most frequently used words to describe the disorder were analyzed. Therefore, the goal of the study is to discover the most common perception and bias from the Korean society regarding ASD. We focused on general perception using a website for anonymous questions instead of typical interview or survey methods to minimize bias, and used content analysis for the coding method. A total of 1,021 posts that were uploaded between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2019, were collected. Out of them, 472 expressions used to describe ASD symptoms were carefully analyzed and were divided into 29 categories by two independent coders (see Figure 1). We found that approximately a half (53%) of the entire symptoms reported were categorized as one of the six categories including atypical social interaction (62 cases), delay in language development (45 cases), lack of eye contact (42 cases), problems in human relationships (42 cases), repetitive behavior (33 cases), and obsession (26 cases). Next, we examined the types of common stereotype and prejudices on ASD expressed in the 1,021 posts. Among the 13 common stereotype categories listed in Autism Spectrum Disorders from A to Z (Yang & Shin, 2013), we found that four (stuck in their own world, ASD children are dangerous, emotionally unstable and uncontrollable, ASD children are geniuses) were observed, and two (Stuck in their own world, emotionally unstable and uncontrollable) among them were illustrated the most (see figure 2). The majority of stereotypes about ASD reported by prior studies (e.g. refrigerator mother, MMR vaccine associated with ASD) were rarely observed in our sample.
In conclusion, even though people’s perception lacks a great deal of knowledge regarding ASD and its diverse range of symptoms, our findings suggest that there is a great deal of concentration among ASD symptoms and stereotypes that the public perceives and believes. Given that lay beliefs about ASD influence self-conceptions of children with ASD and decision-making about ASD treatment as well as social isolation of ASD children and their family members, it is crucial to give the public an accurate understanding of ASD.

Authors

• Eunseo Ludia Lee, University of Utah
  Presenting Author

• Wooseon Susan Park, University of Utah
  Non-Presenting Author

• Mee-Kyoung Kwon, University of Utah
  Non-Presenting Author