Brenton, Charlotte;
(2022)
An Exploration of the Views and Experiences of Autistic Young People on a Supported Employment Programme and the Implications for Educational Psychologists.
Doctoral thesis (D.Ed.Psy), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
Unemployment amongst the autistic population is high, yet research is emerging suggesting that Supported Employment Programmes (SEPs) can enable many Young People (YP) to make this transition successfully. However, this research overwhelmingly adopts quantitative methods to reach such conclusions, limiting our understanding of these YP’s experiences of such support. Further, eliciting their views is increasingly recognised as crucial in developing appropriate support. Additionally, this, along with the lack of literature regarding the Educational Psychologist’s (EP’s) role with this population and within such settings, restricts the development of EP practice, pertinent since the extensions to their role (now working with YP up to 25 years old; DfE, 2014). The current research sought to firstly explore the views and experiences of autistic YP’s opportunities for, and barriers to, employment, what support from an autism-specific SEP they find helpful, and what further support they feel is required to better support them into employment. Secondly, the EP’s role within SEP settings was explored, guided by these YP’s perspectives. This two-phase research study consisted of semi-structured interviews with eight autistic YP with Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) in their final year of a 2-year autism-specific SEP, followed by a focus group with 7 SEP staff members. Findings, analysed through thematic analysis, are presented through five themes; 1) ‘conceptualising autism: the combination and interaction of individual and environmental barriers’; 2) ‘autism identities: juxtaposed feelings’; 3) ‘the value of practical learning alongside understanding, adjustments and advocacy’; 4) ‘hopes for increased independence, understanding, acceptance and support’; and 5) ‘valuable contributions from EPs/EPSs to support SEP students learning, wellbeing, support and outcomes’. Findings have implications for a range of stakeholders with key roles in improving employment outcomes for this population, including SEPs, EPs, a range of other professionals, Local Authorities (LAs), government, and more broadly, society.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | D.Ed.Psy |
| Title: | An Exploration of the Views and Experiences of Autistic Young People on a Supported Employment Programme and the Implications for Educational Psychologists |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2022. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request |
| UCL classification: | UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Psychology and Human Development UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10153713 |
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