Promoting Positive Attitudes Toward People With Down Syndrome: The Benefit of School Inclusion Programs¹

Abstract

The effects of school inclusion programs on male and female nondisabled students' stereotypes and attitudes toward people with Down syndrome were studied. Nondisabled students (11–15 years of age) from schools with and without inclusion programs reported positive and negative attitudes toward people with Down syndrome. As hypothesized, girls and students attending schools with inclusion programs showed more favorable attitudes toward people with Down syndrome than did boys and students attending schools without inclusion programs, respectively. Interaction effects of school system and sex of participant suggest that boys' attitudes, in particular, benefit from inclusive schooling. The study provides evidence for the effectiveness of inclusion programs in ameliorating prejudice and intergroup anxiety; and in promoting positive attitudes, affect, and trust.

Misleading face-based judgment of cognitive level in intellectual disability: The case of trisomy 21 (Down syndrome)

“…Likewise, about one-third of adolescent respondents (N = 1704) reported they were not willing to work on a class project or spend time outside of school with a student with t21. These negative attitudes, which seem negligible in people with daily experience with such students (Maras & Brown, 1996;Pace et al, 2010;Sirlopú et al, 2008), may be exacerbated in the case of people newly faced with children with marked facial stigmata, who indeed trigger the most negative inferences about their intelligence -as indicated by the present research.…”

Actitudes implícitas y explícitas hacia personas con síndrome de Down: un estudio en colegios con y sin programas de integración de Chile

“…Estos hallazgos complementan un estudio anterior realizado por los mismos autores (Sirlopú et al, 2008). Uno de los objetivos de dicho artículo fue conocer si la inclusión escolar ligada al género de los alumnos, tenía un impacto sobre las actitudes explícitas hacia las PCSD.…”

Intergroup trust and anxiety: the two sides of stigma towards people with Down syndrome

“…The questionnaire included other questions, extracted by Sirlopú et al (2008). Due to the lack of internal consistency obtained (α=.50 in two dimensions), as well as the overlapping with other measures, we decided to exclude them from the analyses.…”