Conducting research with people with nonverbal autism: An inclusive methodological approach

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
File version

Version of Record (VoR)

Author(s)
Hills, KJ
Clapton, J
Dorsett, P
Andersen, K
Primary Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Editor(s)
Date
2020
Size
File type(s)
Location
Abstract

Current academic literature exposes a paucity of information about people diagnosed with Level 3 (severe social and communication deficits requiring substantial support) autism from their own perspective. Most research pertaining to this population has obtained data from secondary sources such as a parent or caregiver. This paper describes the methodological approach to a study exploring the spirituality of people with Level 3 autism, using interview as a strategy for sourcing data. The study was intentionally designed to work inclusively with this population, rather than conducting research on or about them. As such, opportunity was provided for participants to be direct respondents in the research process. Participants were seven adults, aged between 23 and 53, who had been diagnosed with Level 3 autism. A bricolage approach incorporating participant’s personal narratives provided an inclusive method for working with people who do not use spoken language to communicate. As communicating with this population necessitates the use of some type of augmentative device, certain strategies were adopted to address the particular practical, methodological and ethical challenges confronted during the research process. Interviews resulted in a rich source of data, providing unique insights into the lived experience of a severely under researched population. This study demonstrated that with researcher flexibility, a methodology that provides participants meaningful and inclusive involvement is not only possible, but beneficial in learning more about this marginalised group. Furthermore, this paper introduces a methodological approach that provides a platform for further research concerning people who do not communicate by speech.

Journal Title

Journal of Social Inclusion

Conference Title
Book Title
Edition
Volume

11

Issue

1

Thesis Type
Degree Program
School
Publisher link
Patent number
Funder(s)
Grant identifier(s)
Rights Statement
Rights Statement

© The Author(s) 2020. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Item Access Status
Note
Access the data
Related item(s)
Subject

Social work

Sociology

Persistent link to this record
Citation

Hills, KJ; Clapton, J; Dorsett, P; Andersen, K, Conducting research with people with nonverbal autism: An inclusive methodological approach, Journal of Social Inclusion, 2020, 11 (1), pp. 5-23

Collections