Knowledge and Misconceptions About the Causes of Disabilities and Functioning in Children and Preadolescents: Mixed‐Models Analyses

Background: Accurate knowledge of disabilities is connected to social acceptance and a high chance of initiating and facilitating meaningful social interactions with students with disabilities. The present study investigated the effect of type of disability and school grade level on knowledge of the causes of four disabilities (i.e., hearing, visual, motor and intellectual), misconceptions about the causes of these disabilities and knowledge of the functioning of peers with disabilities. Methods: A sample of 868 Italian students (Mage = 9.92, SD = 2.33; school grade levels 1–8; 436 boys and 432 girls) was interviewed about their knowledge of causes of four disabilities, potential misconceptions and the knowledge of functioning of peers with disabilities. Mixed-effects models were applied with the GAMLj module of the JAMOVI statistical platform. The effects of type of disability and school grade level and their interaction were estimated as fixed effects, and gender was introduced as a control variable. Results: Mixed-model analyses found a main effect of type of disability for knowledge and misconceptions about the causes of disabilities and knowledge of the functioning of peers with disabilities. A main effect for school grade level was also found, showing a progressive growth trend in knowledge of the causes of disabilities and of the functioning of peers with disabilities and a decrease in misconceptions with the increase in school grade levels. Lastly, a significant interaction effect of Type of Disability × School Grade Level was found for knowledge and misconceptions about the causes of disabilities, suggesting that the effect of school grade level varied across the type of disability. Conclusion: Overall, the study found that children and preadolescents have a rudimentary and limited understanding of disabilities, suggesting the necessity for a specific formal education about disabilities during the school years for children and preadolescents.