Methodological Approach

The method that will be employed in the current study is a qualitative approach to explore the experiences of individuals with autism and mothers of adolescents with autism in the

transition phase from childhood to adulthood. Specifically, a series of semi-structured face-to- face interviews were conducted with mothers of individuals who have been impacted by autism during the transition from childhood to adulthood, in addition to life history interviews were carried out with adults with autism.

Qualitative research is a method of study that attempts to achieve a thorough understanding of human nature, as well as the causes of certain forms of human behaviours (Howitt, 2010; Silverman, 2011). Therefore, most qualitative researchers work with fewer participants to be able to obtain in depth information (Maxwell, 2013; Wagner & Okeke, 2009). Unlike

quantitative research, which is concerned with direct and measurable phenomena by using statistics, as quantitative researchers convert the information gathered from a certain research study into numbers, qualitative research aims to discover how and why these phenomena exist the way they do (Tracy, 2013). Similarly, qualitative research is predominantly focused on the process in which human behaviours occur, and the environment’s impact on the participant’s behaviours, rather than solely the outcomes of behaviours and actions (Maxwell, 2013).

Qualitative research is largely designed to identify the meanings people attribute to their lived experiences (Tracy, 2013).

However, there can be considerable challenges in conducting research that involves

individuals with ASD. One particular issue may be gaining consent to conduct such research. Also, it may prove challenging to find ways in which individuals with ASD can be

successfully involved in the research. This is mainly because of the nature of their disability, in particular the variation of the individuals’ abilities to communicate and socialize with others (Brewster & Coleyshaw, 2011; Loyd, 2013b). The main symptoms of ASD tend to make the conduct of interviews with these individuals challenging, and this is probably the main reason behind the lack of research on the perspectives of individuals with autism themselves regarding their experiences. Largely because of this, a considerable amount of research on autism has been conducted on the viewpoints of parents, caregivers, teachers, and health care practitioners, rather than on the individuals themselves (Kirby, Dickie, & Baranek, 2014).

Therefore, for this study a qualitative approach was used to explore the subjective reality of individuals with autism and families during the transition from childhood to adulthood, as it was considered the most effective way to answer the research questions. In qualitative research procedure, the researcher allows a closer focus on the individual’s voice and

recognize the participants own lived experience and sense of a certain issue (Creswell, 2009). In this approach, the experience of transition from childhood to adulthood in individuals with autism was selected, and data is then collected to create an understanding of the nature of that experience, and the crucial aim is to show what was experienced and how (Creswell, 2009). Qualitative research methods are associated with both strengths and weaknesses. A key strength of this approach is its tendency to produce a far richer explanation and analysis of a certain human behaviour or experience that cannot be caught as a whole by other types of quantitative approaches (Al-Busaidi, 2008; Castro, Kellison, Boyd, & Kopak, 2010).

Neergaard, Olesen, Andersen, and Sondergaard (2009) noted that using a qualitative approach would be valuable when the researcher sometimes encounters a restricted time-frame, not to mention limited research materials. Conversely, qualitative research has been criticised for its lack of generalizability to larger population groups, as well as its dependence on the

measurement skills of the researcher (Bryman, 2012; Neergaard et al., 2009). Quantitative, and some forms of qualitative, research attempt to remove the researcher from the

measurement process as much as possible. However, qualitative research necessitates that the investigator becomes the primary measuring tool, as this minimises problems concerning the validity, reliability, and causality when interpreting qualitative research (Neergaard et al., 2009).

Despite the potential limitations of the methodological approach utilised in this study, it should be noted that multiple previous studies (Hoogsteen & Woodgate, 2013; Hurlbutt & Chalmers, 2002; Jones et al., 2013; Woodgate, Ateah, & Secco, 2008) have used similar approaches to address the topic at hand. Hurlbutt and Chalmers (2002) and Jones et al. (2013) conducted a qualitative study with individuals with autism in order to find out about their lifetime thoughts, feelings and experiences. While other researchers explored the everyday life of families with individuals with autism by using semi-structured interviews (Hoogsteen & Woodgate, 2013; Woodgate et al., 2008).

Additionally, this approach was chosen largely due to the exploratory nature of the current research questions. Quantitative research is more effective when large sets of data are available to researchers and objective conclusions can be drawn about their relationships (Neergaard et al., 2009), and larger numbers of participants are included in quantitative research (Castro et al., 2010). Qualitative research is more appropriate when in-depth information is needed regarding a relatively novel topic, such as the experience of transition from childhood to adulthood in individuals with autism and families (Hoogsteen &

Woodgate, 2013). Where the current methodological approach is limited, it is suggested that future research could expand on the current study by employing more objective methods of data analysis.

4.10 Methods of data Collection