Abstract:

This study was directed at determining the attitudes of selected university students in a private institution in Malaysia towards the post-secondary education for their autistic peers. In global higher education, particularly in Malaysia, post-secondary education for individuals with intellectual impairments and autism is a new frontier. As more programmes are created at universities where inclusive education is provided for the neurologically impaired specifically the autistics, data on the views and attitudes of the neurotypical tertiary students toward having these students on campus in their post-secondary academic pursuits is thus needed. The participants (n = 135) were selected from a private university located in the northern region of Malaysia about their beliefs and attitudes regarding post-secondary education for students with autism. The data were collected through a 7-point-Likert Scale survey questionnaire which was distributed online. The findings indicate that the respondents generally have positive attitudes towards the autistic students in the mainstream education channels which hints at the promising future for inclusive education in Malaysia.

Keywords:

Autism, intellectual disability, post-secondary, attitudes, tertiary students.