Social Work Commons^™

The Aaspire Practice-Based Guidelines For The Inclusion Of Autistic Adults In Research As Co-Researchers And Study Participants, Christina Nicolaidis, Dora M. Raymaker, Steven K. Kapp, Amelia E.V. Baggs, Elesia Ashkenazy, Katherine E. Mcdonald, Michael Weiner, Joelle Maslak, Morrigan Hunter, Andrea Joyce

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

As interest in autism in adulthood grows, so does the need for methods to promote the inclusion of autistic adults in research. Our objective was to create practice-based guidelines for the inclusion of autistic adults, both as research team members and as study participants. We conducted an institutional ethnography of three closely related research partnerships that used participatory methods with autistic adults over the years 2006–2018. We used an iterative approach which combined discussions with community and academic partners and artifact review. Guidelines to promote the inclusion of autistic adults as co-researchers focus on being transparent about partnership goals, clearly …