Lord-Laverick, Adele (2024) A Case Study of Parents’ and Professionals’ Experiences of the Referral Process for Assessment of Potentially Autistic Children. Doctoral thesis, York St John University.
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Text (Doctoral thesis)
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Abstract
The route to diagnosis for potentially autistic children is well documented to have historically long waiting times. Before an assessment can take place, a young person must first be referred for an assessment, this referral can itself take many years before a young person begins the wait for an autism assessment. This thesis examines the current referral process in one local authority in the UK in order to identify areas where the referral system could become more effective. The research is a qualitative design using case study. Professionals and parents involved in the referral process were interviewed so that perspectives were taken from people that experienced the referral process through different lenses. Grounded Theory approaches with constant comparative methodology were used in order that all prior interviews were compared with new interviews, reinforcing theory generation. Results showed that the separation of autism from Asperger’s had a detrimental effect on effective referrals for autistic children, the paper-based questionnaire in this local authority was also shown to be inadequate due to the heterogeneic nature of autism. Discussion led to a new online referral system, more in line with the individual needs of each user which would lead to earlier identification and more tailored support for autistic children. It is theorised that autism is more complex than is currently explained, therefore there is a need for revised criterion with neurodivergent-friendly language in the DSM-V; the current manual used to classify and diagnose differences such as autism.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Status: | Published |
| Subjects: | L Education > L Education (General) L Education > LC Special aspects of education |
| School/Department: | School of Education, Language and Psychology |
| URI: | https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/12309 |
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