STIGMA AND KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ASD 48

Appendix B

Coding scheme for the open-ended question “what are autism spectrum disorders in your own words” with a definition of each code and examples from the data

Code / Definition / Example
1. Social-Communication Difficulties / Social or communicative difficulties consistent with the DSM-5 including language/ nonverbal communication/ social difficulties/ difficulty interpreting or expressing (but not feeling) emotions and social cues/ difficulties with reciprocity / “Autistic spectrum disorders affect the way a person communicates with, and relates to, other people”
2. Restricted Interests/ Repetitive Behaviors / Mention of restricted interests or repetitive movements consistent with the DSM-5 including focus on one topic or activity/ avoidance of change/ stereotypy/ rocking/ spinning / “Autism is a disorder characterized by impaired social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior”
-Sensory / Mention of sensory issues, dislike of loud noises/places / “Autistic traits range from trouble communicating, visual and auditory sensitivity…”
3. Disability or Deficit / Syndrome/ condition/ impairment/ dysfunction/ disease/ sick / “Is a developmental disability that can cause social, communication and…”
-Not Normal / Differences between individuals with autism and a norm or the uniqueness of each individual with autism/ acts strange/ different from normal/ abnormality / “Is a mental disorder in which that person is unable to be as normal as they would want to be…”
-Dependent / Special needs, lack of daily living skills, Can’t do activities on own/ needs help living/life challenges/daily struggles / “Not being able to do anything on your own”
4. Spectrum / Variety of symptoms/ levels of impairment/ range/ different degrees / “Every child on the autism spectrum has problems…But the level of disability and the combination of symptoms varies tremendously from person to person.”
5. Developmental / Early age of onset including innate/ early diagnosis/ developmental disability or disorder / “Developmental disorder that appears in the first 3 years of a person’s life that affects …”
6. Child Specific / Specifies youth related term without mention of other developmental stages such as adults including kid/ child/ children / “Wide range of symptoms, skills, and levels of impairment or disability that children can have.”
7. Etiology / Born with it/ brain/ neural/ vaccines/ genetics/ environment/ causes / “One specific cause of autism hasn’t been discovered yet but genetic mutations and environmental factors are suspected”
-Brain Related / Brain/ neurological / “Brain/neural disorder effecting communication skills and behavior”
8. Language Difficulties / Difficulty or delay speaking/understanding language / “When children begin losing language skills”
9. Lack of Social Interest/Emotion / Wants to be alone/ anti-social/ in own world/ ignores surroundings/ emotionally disconnected/ distant/ lacks empathy/ lacks feeling or emotion / “Preferring to stay alone in abnormal way”
10. Anxious/ Quiet / Quiet/ shy/ afraid/ anxious/ nervous / “People who have autism are usually quiet and not very active…They are shy.”
11. Self-regulation Difficulties / Unpredictable/ angry/ sporadic/ difficulty controlling one’s self / “Social and anger issues. They always scream loud.”
12. Systematic Thinking / Cognitive strengths/ attention to detail/ precise/ high intelligence/ unusual skills/ savant/ gifted / “A disease that limits social interaction but produces higher intelligence”
13. Confusion with Other Disorders / ASD confused with learning disability/ ADHD/ personality disorder/ chromosomes abnormalities or birth defect/ mental illness/ physical disability / “Learning disorder and personality problems.”
14. Don’t Know / Not able to define autism / “I don’t know what autism is”
15. Other / None of the above categories

Note: Codes with a “-“symbol signify subcodes of the code preceding it.