Assessing Neurodiversity Acceptance Among University Students: A Survey Study at Nazarbayev University

Abstract

The prevalence of autism is rising worldwide, leading to different challenges faced by university students. It highlights the need for understanding and promoting autism acceptance in university context. However, there is limited research that addresses this issue in Kazakhstan’s universities. Objectives of this research are to assess the current level of neurodiversity and autistic acceptance among university students and examine the impact of socio-demographic variables on attitudes towards neurodiverse people. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Nazarbayev University between February 2025 and March 2025 using the Autism Attitude Acceptance Scale (AAAS) developed by Kim (2020). The survey included 101 respondents and had 3 parts: socio-demographic data, AAAS subscale questions and questions for neurodiversity awareness. The data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Nazarbayev University students showed moderately high General Acceptance (GA) level (M=3.92, SD = 0.68), while the mean score for Attitudes toward Treating Autistic Behavior (ATAB) was lower (M=2.17, SD = 0.80) showing limited acceptance of autism as a condition which should not be cured and accepted as it is. Significant differences were found between local and international students, with international students being more accepting of autism than local students (p = 0.019). Familiarity with neurodiversity concept found to be associated with higher level of General Acceptance score (p = 0.002). No significant difference was found in age, gender, major and previous contact level with autistic individuals.