Smith, Courtney (2013) Lived Experiences of Transitions: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Parental Perceptions of School Transitions for Adolescents with ASD. Coursework Masters thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a condition characterised by difficulties in the development of social communication and interaction skills, as well as the presence of restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests or activities. Due to the characteristics evident within this disorder individuals diagnosed with ASD often struggle with the experience of change, even the experience of predictable change such as major vertical transitions throughout life. The transition from primary to secondary school and from secondary school to adulthood have been marked as times of significant distress and difficulties for individuals diagnosed with ASD, thus further insight into this experience is required to successfully progress such individuals into their next stage of life. Previous research has highlighted the difficulties and concern evident for parents and individuals diagnosed with ASD as they transition across stages of development. This study applied interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore the experience of transitions according to parents of adolescents with ASD across various stages of the transition process. The primary aim of this study was to gain parental perspectives on how they perceived the experience of transition for their child with ASD across various stages of the transition process. The secondary aim of this study was to facilitate the development of further insight into the key transition concerns, difficulties and expectations of parents of adolescents with ASD about their child's transition process. The final sample of participants included seven parents of adolescents with ASD who were interviewed about their child's most recent vertical transition. Analysis of the data from these interviews indentified three major themes encompassing: a) the experience of change and transition for children with ASD, b) the numerous roles of the parents of children with ASD, and c) the goodness of fit between school system, parents and child. These themes closely reflected the lived experiences expressed by parents of children with ASD in relation to their child's transition process. One shortcoming of this study was the inclusion of only mothers of adolescents with ASD in the final sample of participants. Future research may benefit from the gaining the perspective of numerous sources including fathers, teachers, services providers and adolescents themselves about the transition process. This research demonstrates the importance of the knowledge and expertise of the parent throughout the transition process, as well as the complexity of transitions for individuals with ASD and the individual nature of such experiences. The insight gained from this study may demonstrate the importance of the development of more individualised interventions, as well as add to the current body of research which may further understanding about the complexities surrounding the transition process and development of individuals with ASD across their lifespan.
|
Statistics for this ePrint Item |
| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Coursework Masters) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology, Counselling and Community (1 Jul 2013 - 31 Dec 2014) |
| Supervisors: | Charlotte Brownlow |
| Qualification: | Master of Psychology (Clinical) |
| Date Deposited: | 30 Sep 2025 01:03 |
| Last Modified: | 30 Sep 2025 01:03 |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52765 |
Actions (login required)
 |
Archive Repository Staff Only |
