Table 3. Co-produced knowledge question sections for analysis.

The order of the statements was mixed across sections in the survey.

	Correct answer
Section 1: Societal Views and Ideas
The character “Sheldon” in Big Bang Theory is an accurate portrayal of an autistic person.	S
Movies such as “Rainman” show an accurate depiction of all autistic people.	N
Autistic people are eternally childlike.	N
Autism is described in the news in a balanced way.	N
You can tell a person is autistic by looking at them.	N
Vaccines do not cause autism.	T
Section 2: What it Could be Like to Have Autism
Autistic people can choose what behaviours they display in public.	S
Autistic people experience emotions differently to people who do not have autism.	N
Autistic people do not understand sarcasm in jokes and can take them literally.	S
Autistic people can learn to become less sensitive to stimuli, such as noise, touch and smell.	N
Autistic people have difficulty understanding what to do in social situations.	T
Autism is a stable condition that does not vary day to day.	N
Section 3: Characteristics of Autism
* Autism never occurs in adults.	N
Autistic people are sensitive to certain stimuli, such as noise, touch and smell.	S
All autistic people have intellectual disability.	N
Autism has a range of symptoms and severities.	T
* Autism only occurs in children.	N
All autistic people have a genius level of intellect.	N
Section 4: Strengths and Challenges of Having Autism
All autistic people have the same strengths.	N
All autistic people have the same challenges.	N
The level of support required by autistic people does not change with age.	N
Autistic people can be employed in competitive paying jobs.	T

* = used for testing internal consistency, S = somewhat true, T = true, N = not true