Research is helping to find new ways to support neurodiverse people, says Curtin University’s Dr Ben Milbourn.
The shift from adolescence to adulthood can be challenging for young people on the autism spectrum, and opportunities for employment have historically been limited. There is a need both here and internationally for greater support for neurodiverse jobseekers and our team’s newly developed learning framework could help.
It builds on autistic individuals’ already-existing strengths, to enhance their employability and may help them build skills to improve job-seeking prospects.
Modern approaches in this field already highlight the importance of strength-based frameworks, which match strengths and interests of autistic youth to future career pathways. Previous research shows the strengths of many autistic individuals are considered beneficial for employment in the information and communication technology sector.
The Autism Academy for Software Quality Assurance runs a strengths-based intervention program for autistic adolescents. This program involves an extra-curricular outreach and mentoring program encouraging them to leverage their unique skills across science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM). The program was recently the recipient of the Western Australia Premier’s Science Award.
The purpose of the Curtin-led study was to develop a framework to suit technology clubs incorporating coding and ICT learning modules. These clubs provide opportunities for autistic youth to develop their technological and social skills, meet role models working in the industry and help them find work experience.
In developing a strength-based model, researchers drew on four elements incorporating interests, value, autonomy and requirements (IVAR).
Interests refers to applying strategies that draw on adolescents’ areas of interest and changing activities to ensure they are included. Value represents a culture of valuing autistic adolescents and their unique strengths and skills. Autonomy refers to providing opportunities for adolescents to make decisions during the program and Requirements incorporates the design of the social and physical environment.
The elements of the IVAR framework could work when applied to technology club service delivery.
Interests: In recruiting facilitators, service providers should consider the personal interests of facilitators beyond teaching and general experience with autism. Ideally, service providers want facilitators who share common interests with autistic adolescents.
When teaching, technology activities should be flexible and customised, so they align with adolescents’ interests. For example, facilitators may teach video game design and encourage each adolescent to develop a game based on their areas of interest.
Value: This is evident when facilitators adapt teaching based on individual needs and at the end of each semester, a presentation day is arranged where autistic youth present their work to family, friends, and other students. Facilitators then discuss technology skill goals with adolescents and parents. Goals should not be centred on autism deficits, but rather suited to students’ strengths.
Autonomy: Facilitators should be trained in individualised and collaborative teaching approaches. Technology clubs could provide at least three activities to choose from, for instance robotics, website design or video game design. Autistic adolescents may first be taught how to code a robot but then encouraged to apply the coding in a manner of their choice; such a using code to create a robot racecourse or making a robot dance.
Requirements: To apply this, service providers would consult with parents and adolescents to understand participants’ sensory needs and preferences. Program facilitators would be educated based on these needs and the program environment modified accordingly.
The importance of consistent attendance and routine would be emphasised as consistence helps build rapport which improves teaching and learning outcomes. The technology club’s location is also considered within this element which should provide ample room to reduce overcrowding – for example, having a ‘noisy’ room and a ‘quiet’ room to suit people with these sensory needs.
Future research should focus on exploring how practical and appropriate the IVAR framework is in supporting the delivery of strength-based technology clubs for autistic adolescents. Extending the effectiveness of the strength-based IVAR framework, potential scope also exists to apply the four components that comprise the model to other general areas within autism research.
ED: Dr Ben Milbourn is a Senior Lecturer at Curtin University’s School of Allied Health.