Abstract
Social Stories (SS) is one of the most widely used interventions for autism. Notwithstanding its popularity, variability has been identified in the effectiveness of the intervention. The aim of this doctoral research is to examine the utility of a digitally-mediated social stories (DM-SS) intervention in potentially targeting outcome variability whilst also empowering the autism community. In this thesis, DM-SS have been developed and delivered using a digital application (https://SOFA-app.org) on a portable electronic device.This thesis presents a detailed overview of the research process, which addressed the following research questions: What is the utility and effectiveness of a DM-SS intervention for the autism community? This suite of studies was comprised of three phases: (i) review of existing SS research and theory development, (ii) development of DM-SS, and (iii) testing the efficacy of DM-SS. Each phase leverages insights from the preceding one. The findings of each phase are presented in separate studies. Each study (eight in total) is structured in the style of a scholarly journal article prepared for publication and is structured to meet the rigorous standards of academic discourse, ensuring that the research outcomes are communicated with precision and clarity.
The first phase (Phase I) consisted of two studies aimed at investigating the existing SS research landscape and summarising it effectively. This phase also aimed to contribute towards the dearth of research pertaining to the theory underpinning the SS intervention. This phase produced the following outputs:
Study 1 – Autism Spectrum Disorder and Social Story research: A scoping study of published, peer-reviewed literature reviews.
Study 2 - A rule-based theoretical account of social stories to address the double empathy problem.
Findings from Phase I indicate that procedural integrity is one of the factors affecting SS outcomes. Furthermore, the analysis of the literature indicated that whilst SS theory remains speculative, a rule-based account of the intervention can be utilised to inform a strengths-based mechanism which might mitigate the double-empathy problem.
The second phase (Phase II) of the research consisted of three studies which aimed to investigate the attitudes of parents of autistic children and of practitioners who support autistic children towards the SS intervention. Competence in developing and delivering SS was also investigated using a self-rated questionnaire. The second phase yielded three outputs:
Study 3 – Parents and practitioners’ perception of SS intervention: Attitudes and competence perceptions.
Study 4 – The impact of using DM-SS on the perceived competence and attitudes of parents and practitioners supporting autistic children.
Study 5 – Mothers’ and practitioners’ insights on the use of digitally-mediated social stories with children on the autism spectrum: A convergent mixed-methods study.
Findings indicated that DM-SS can positively impact parents' and practitioners’ attitudes and competence towards SS as an intervention, can empower the end user, and can improve (to various degrees) the intervention’s procedural integrity.
The third and final phase of this research (Phase III) employed a series of quasi-experimental designs that aimed to investigate the specific application of DM-SS in real-world settings, with a particular focus on involving autistic participants in the development and delivery of the intervention. Digitally-mediated social stories (DM-SS) were created and administered by parents of autistic children as well as by autistic children and adults themselves. The third phase resulted in an additional three outcomes:
Study 6: Effective digital support for autism: Digitally-Mediated Social Stories.
Study 7: Self-set goals: Autistic adults facilitating their self-determination through digitally-mediated Social Stories.
Study 8: Supporting autistic communities through parent-led and child/young person-led digital social story interventions.
Phase three outcomes indicated that DM-SS have the potential to facilitate self-determination by supporting autistic participants in attaining their self-set goals.
Overall, the findings indicate that the DM-SS can support the development and delivery of the SS intervention by positively impacting attitudes and competence. Furthermore, DM-SS improved procedural integrity of the intervention, whilst also facilitating the involvement of all individuals involved in the process. Together, these findings further our understanding of neuro-affirmative supports.
| Date of Award | 26 Jun 2024 |
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| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Mark Brosnan (Supervisor) & Katie Maras (Supervisor) |