Examining the attitudes and physiological responses preservice learners have towards children with autism spectrum disorders Aphroditi Gouvousis a, *, John Heilmann a,1 , Jeanne Golden b,2 , Joseph Kalinowski a,3 , Suzanne Hudson c,4 , Monica Strauss Hough a,5 a East Carolina University, College of Allied Health Sciences, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Health Sciences Building, Greenville, NC 27834, USA b East Carolina University, Department of Psychology, Greenville, NC 27858, USA c East Carolina University, College of Allied Health Sciences, Department of Biostatistics, 2435B Health Sciences Building, USA 1. Literature review The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA; P.L. 108-466, 2004) requires all public school systems to improve educational results for students with disabilities and mandates that children with disabilities, such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD), receive free and appropriate public education support. According to IDEIA, free and appropriate education must be provided in the least restrictive environment, which often includes instruction within the general education classroom. As a result, special and regular education teachers are increasingly providing educational and behavioral supports to the ASD population in an inclusive environment. Therefore, it is important to understand how behaviors associated with ASD impact teachers and their attitudes towards this population (Buell, Hallam, Gambel-McCormick, & Scheer, 1999). Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders 4 (2010) 450–456 ARTICLE INFO Article history: Received 27 October 2009 Accepted 23 November 2009 Keywords: Autism Problematic behaviors Physiological responses Attitudes ABSTRACT This study investigated attitudes and physiological responses demonstrated by preservice learners towards young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The Self- Assessment Manikin (SAM) and two physiological measures (skin conductance and heart rate responses) were obtained. Four behaviors (two control and two problematic) depicting preschool-age males with ASD were viewed by preservice learners who either had limited (n = 15) or substantial experience (n = 15) in working with this population. Results revealed significant differences between behaviors (control versus problematic) on two out of three SAM ratings and on both physiological measures. Specifically, the results documented that regardless of level of experience, preservice learners exhibited increased arousal when watching problematic behaviors. ß 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 703 798 9538. E-mail addresses: ag0830@ecu.edu (A. Gouvousis), heilmannj@ecu.edu (J. Heilmann), golden@ecu.edu (J. Golden), kalinowskij@ecu.edu (J. Kalinowski), hudsons@ecu.edu (S. Hudson), houghm@ecu.edu (M.S. Hough). 1 Tel.: +1 252 744 6146. 2 Tel.: +1 252 328 6206. 3 Tel.: +1 252 744 6091. 4 Tel.: +1 252 744 6043. 5 Tel.: +1 252 744 6090. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders Journal homepage: http://ees.elsevier.com/RASD/default.asp 1750-9467/$ – see front matter ß 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.rasd.2009.11.001