Russo, Imogen; (2024) How do autistic young people and their parents understand their experiences of school-based social skills groups? Doctoral thesis (D.Ed.Psy), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

This thesis explores how autistic young people – and their parents - understand their experiences of taking part in social skills groups in schools (adult-led groups which aim to instil skills such as initiating and maintaining conversations, with the aim of facilitating social competence). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight participants (five autistic young people, aged 13-21, and three parents; including three parent-child dyads) to explore the nature of these groups, including the extent to which particular aspects were felt to be beneficial and enjoyable and the perceived impact on the autistic individuals’ self-concept. Autistic participants had either current or previous involvement in groups and were interviewed via an online platform using the ‘chat’ function in accordance with previous research findings, which suggest such methods can improve accessibility, facilitating the inclusion of autistic individuals. Parents were also given this option, though all three opted for traditional spoken interviews conducted online. The data was analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA; Smith et al., 2009), in which individual themes were first identified, which enabled the subsequent identification of five master themes. Though participants experiences varied considerably, these themes highlighted important implications, such as the benefit of ‘real’ social interaction opportunities related to the individual’s interests, the need for whole-school systems which support understanding of autism and its varying presentations to be embedded in everyday, strength-based practices, and crucially, the importance of listening to the young person’s voice when determining the type of support needed. The themes are discussed in relation to key psychological theories such as Social Motivation Theory (Chevallier et al., 2012), and the Double Empathy Problem (Milton, 2012) and mapped onto Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model of Human Development (2005). Recommendations for EPs and school staff who may be involved in the planning, development and delivery of social skills support are provided.

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