We used a vignette-and-questionnaire design to study stigmatising attitudes among pupils. 250 UK-based students in the South West of England were surveyed at two ages: 11-12 years and 14-16 years. We investigated the effect of disclosing that a fictional adolescent had an autism or ADHD diagnosis on stigmatising attitudes of peers by testing the effect of disclosure on the social and emotional distance pupils wanted to maintain from the fictional adolescent and their assessment of the target’s responsibility for their own behaviour. Participant responses were recorded in self-report questionnaires. Exploring Diagnosis is a research project based at the University of Exeter, focussing on the role that diagnosis plays in individual and professional understandings of health and illness using autism spectrum disorder diagnosis as a case study. This project explores adults' and clinicians’ experiences of the utility and consequences of diagnostic categorisation. Autism diagnosis is particularly relevant because the label is increasingly applied, the diagnosis has clear costs and benefits, and its application is frequently contested. It is important to ask why, if, and how, diagnosis is of benefit. The outputs of this project are: a series of academic articles, two books and three short films exploring the themes of Diagnosis, Neurodiversity and Art. Datasets included: Interviews with autistic adults (IWAA); Pupil’s attitudes to Autistic and ADHD peer (PAAAP); and Healthcare Professionals' diagnostic decision-making: observational and interview data (HCPDD).

Participants all attended the same school in the South West of England. The school was recruited by opt-in procedure through contacting all secondary schools in the area who had expressed an interest in participating in research. Data collection for Year 7 was in October 2017 and for Year 10 was in February 2018. Year 7 participants were asked not to discuss the study between the two data collection points. Data were collected on a class-by-class basis, classes had between 20-30 pupils. All students within years 7 (aged 11-12) and 10 (aged 14-16) were eligible for participation. Data were collected from 116 students in Year 7 and 134 in Year 10. Four researchers were present along with the class teacher. The vignettes were given to the participants in the form of workbooks. After being read aloud the vignette, pupils recorded their attitudes and feelings towards the target adolescent via an anonymous self-report booklet.