Influence Of Gender And Birth Order On Pupils’ With Autism Spectrum Disorder In Public Primary Schools In Ogoja Local Government Area Of Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study adopted survey design to examine the influence of gender and birth order on pupils’ with autism spectrum disorder. It was guided by two research questions and two null hypotheses. A sample of sixty (60) primary 4 pupils’ with autism spectrum disorder was selected from public primary schools using census approach. One instrument titled “Autism Spectrum Disorder Questionnaire (ASDQ) was used for data collection. The reliability of the questionnaire established using Cronbach Alpha reliability method which range from .84 to .86. The hypotheses were tested using Independent t-test for hypothesis one and One Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for hypothesis two. Both were tested at .05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that gender, birth order significantly influence pupils’ with autism spectrum disorder. It therefore concluded that autism spectrum disorder of primary schools pupils depend on their gender differences as well as different in birth orders. Based on the findings and conclusion of this study, it was recommended amongst others that intervention strategies such as teaching the pupils with autism spectrum disorder skills for interacting with others, understanding social cues, and building relationships should be tailored accordingly since the influence of gender and birth order on ASD vary based on individual characteristics.