This study aimed to explore the mild autism adolescents about their dating needs and dating attitudes with the opposite sex. The main research objectives are as follows:
1. To understand the current situation of dating needs and dating attitudes with the opposite sex for the mild autism adolescents.
2. To understand the basic variables towards dating needs and dating attitudes with the opposite sex for the mild autism adolescents.
3. To explore the correlation between dating needs and dating attitudes for the mild autism adolescents.
4. To provide autistic parenting education as reference to social
work practice.
This study was based on the autistic students from senior high and junior high schools listed in the Ministry of Education in 2011 as population universe and followed by the use of a questionnaire survey which are supported by Purposeful Sampling and Snowball Sampling to obtain the research subject, the mild autism adolescents. Questionnaire as the survey tool titled "The research of dating needs and dating attitudes with the opposite sex for the mild autism adolescents” were prepared: 220 questionnaires were sent, 92 questionnaires were returned (42% returned) and finally 76 questionnaires were valid (useful rate 83%).
Further analyses were applied by Descriptive Statistics, Independent Samples T-test, Oneway ANOVA and Pearson's product moment correlation coefficient. The conclusions of this study are summarized as follows:
1. The average score is 3.22 in the overall dating needs with the opposite sex for the mild autism adolescents, which indicates positive in this group. Among the three levels of dating needs with the opposite sex, level "growing need" receives the highest identification followed by the other two levels, "relationship need" and "survival need".
2. The average score is 3.30 in the overall dating attitudes towards the opposite sex for the mild autism adolescents, which also indicates positive in this group. Among the three levels of dating attitudes towards the opposite sex, level "sexual attitude" receives the highest identification followed by the other two levels, "love attitude" and "role attitude".
3. There is no significant variance of dating needs with the opposite sex for the mild autism adolescents under different background variables.
4. There is no significant variance of dating attitudes towards the opposite sex for the mild autism adolescents under different background variables.
5. The correlation of dating needs and dating attitudes for the autism adolescents: Based on the background correlation of three-scaled dating needs and three-scaled dating attitudes. The research result is positive in terms of "love attitude and relationship need", "love attitude and growth need”, "sexual attitude and relationship need" and “sexual attitudes and growth needs". The result is negative in terms of "role attitude and relationship need" and "role attitude and growth need ".
