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‘My brother likes meeting new people, but don't ask him any direct questions’: involving adults with autism plus learning disability in a qualitative research project
- Authors:
- TOZER Rosemary, ATKIN Karl, WENHAM Aniela
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 42(4), 2014, pp.292-300.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
People who have difficulties in communication and understanding are often excluded from research which is about them. As part of a qualitative study focusing on the adult siblings of people with autism and learning disabilities, the authors met twelve people with autism plus severe learning disability with their brother or sister. Individually tailored resources were used to make the meeting accessible and positive. Sibling involvement was essential to the participation, and inclusion of adults with autism plus learning disability strengthened the research findings, making them more valid and more relevant to policy and practice. This article describes the authors experiences of facilitating this involvement, the methods used and understandings gained, with the aim of encouraging practitioners and researchers to do likewise. Meeting the brothers and sisters with autism was important as it helped the researchers understand their relationships much better and make suggestions about how they and their siblings could be better supported. (Edited publisher abstract)