01, and a significant interaction: model of disability x age groups, F(4, 294) = 12.238, p < 0.01. Three univariate ANOVAs (one way) were conducted on agreement scores. A significant effect of age for the individual model, F(2, 148) = 13.513, p < 0.01, and the social model, F(2, 149) = 6.912, p < 0.01, emerged, while none was found for the biopsychosocial model. Fisher’s post hoc LSD showed that children’s agreement for the individual model was significantly higher than their parents (p < 0.01). Parents’ agreement for the social model was significantly higher than their children (p < 0.01).
Mean frequency agreement for the three disability models by age.
Parents preferred the social model and significantly more so compared to children aged 6–8 years (p < 0.01) and 9–11 years (p < 0.01) whereas no significant difference between the two children’s groups was found. No significant age difference emerged regarding the biopsychosocial model.
Parents’ Education about Diversity: Was the disability a special case?
The parental endorsement scores for the disability models were analyzed in a 3 (disability model: individual, social, biopsychosocial) x 2 (group of parents: parents’ children of 6–8 years and 9–11 years) x 2 (diversity condition: disabled and non-disabled) mixed-design analysis of variance (ANOVA) with disability model as the repeated measure. A main effect for model of disability F(5, 70) = 28.853, p < 0.01, and no significant interaction for children age were found. Planned comparisons revealed that the biopsychosocial model was preferred to the social, t(75) = -7.139, p < 0.01, and individual model t(75) = -11, p < 0.01. Parents of children from both age groups significantly preferred the social model to explain stimuli showing non-disability/diversity conditions compared to the disability/diversity conditions, t(37) = -2.149, p < 0.05.
The custom complex: knowledge and stereotypes on disability, interest, and activities of the children
In order to analyze the complex world of culture and habits of children, one-way ANOVAs were conducted on the two age groups for each of the following three scales: (i) the Child’s Disability Knowledge scale, (ii) the Child’s Interests and Activities scale, and (iii) the Parent’s Interests and Activities Encouraged scale. Children 9–11 years have significantly more knowledge, F(1, 74) = 9.218, p < 0.01, and fewer stereotypes, F(1, 74) = 6.948, p = 0.01, about disability than children 6–8 years. Parent’s encouragement of interest or cultural activities was significantly higher in older children, F(1, 74) = 5.365, p < 0.05. No significant interaction was found between parent’s encouragement of interest or cultural activities and child’s disability knowledge.
The typology of the beliefs: the explanatory coherence
Reasons why people with and without disabilities encounter difficulties in life differed significantly across age groups (children 6–8 years, 9–11 years, and parents). Results are at the group level and not at the individual difference level. In order to draw a more accurate difference profile, two composite measures of consistency between the models were built, by combining the responses related to the individual and social model in the open-ended and closed-ended questions (S2 File–Details of Measure). The composite measure created on the frequency scale of the open-ended responses range from a minimum to a maximum value of -3 to +3, where the highest score indicated a higher frequency of use of the individual model. Based on these consistency measures, typologies were then created in which participants were divided into four groups: (i) social/no individual model; (ii) individual and social model; (iii) individual/no social model; (iv) neither (Figs 3 and 4).
Children aged 6–8 years (N = 38) preferred exclusively the individual model and all children significantly more than parents (p < 0.01). No children adhered to the social/no individual model, conversely to the parents who strongly (p < 0.01) preferred it. The social and individual model was significantly (p < 0.05) pre