Teachers’ Multidimensional Attitudes toward Autism Spectrum Disorder in Japan:

Teachers' attitudes toward students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) play a crucial role in shaping inclusive educational practice.While previous research has highlighted the importance of teachers' knowledge and self-efficacy, less attention has been paid to the multidimensional nature of attitudes and to the possibility that teaching experience may operate differently across school contexts.The primary objective of this study was to investigate how the relationship between teaching experience and teachers' multidimensional attitudes toward ASD differs across mainstream and special needs schools.Emotional, cognitive, and behavioral aspects of attitudes may not develop in parallel and may be associated with organizational conditions surrounding educational practice.This study investigated affective, cognitive, and behavioral attitudes toward ASD among 169 in-service teachers in Japan working in mainstream classrooms and special schools.Attitudes were assessed using the Japanese version of the Multidimensional Attitudes Scale toward Persons with ASD (J-MAS), alongside self-rated ASD-related knowledge, teaching experience, and confidence.The results revealed that teaching experience was not uniformly associated with positive attitudes.Among mainstream teachers, ASD-related experience was associated with higher negative affect, whereas among special school teachers, experience was associated with lower negative cognitions and higher levels of calm.These findings challenge the assumption that ASD-related experience with students is inherently beneficial and highlight the importance of organizational context in relation to teachers' attitudes.The findings also suggest that the quality of experience, not merely the quantity of teaching ASD students, is crucial.Implications for teacher education, professional development, and school-based support systems are discussed.