Parents’ Awareness, Attitudes and Acceptance of Inclusive Education for Children with Autism: A Path Analysis

Parents of typically developing children (PTC) are key stakeholders influencing the success of inclusive education for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, research on their perspectives in mainland China is limited. This study examined the associations between Chinese PTCs’ awareness, attitudes toward inclusive education for children with ASD, acceptance of inclusive education, and the impact of PTCs’ age, educational level, income, and presence of children with special educational needs (SEN) in their children’s schools. A total of 6,094 PTCs from Guangdong, China, participated by completing a survey on their awareness, attitudes, and acceptance of children with ASD. The path analyses revealed that awareness showed both a direct effect on parents’ acceptance and an indirect effect mediated by attitudes. Parents’ age showed a negative direct effect on attitudes, and a negative indirect effect on acceptance through the mediation of attitudes. Parent education showed a positive direct effect on autism knowledge and an indirect effect on acceptance. Household income showed a positive effect on acceptance and awareness. When analyzing the moderation effect of the presence of children with SEN, the negative effect of parent age was significant only in the group where the child’s school did have children with SEN. Moreover, both parent education and income status showed direct effects on acceptance in the group where the child’s school had children with SEN, while they showed direct effects on autism knowledge and indirect effects on acceptance in the group without the presence of children with SEN. This study lays the groundwork for more nuanced theoretical models in the field of inclusive education and helps bridge autism research with broader discussions about social policy integration, focusing on how the general public, particularly parents, can be engaged to support inclusive policies. Discussion and implication were provided.