Practitioner experience of the impact of humanistic methods on autism practice: a preliminary study

Practitioner experience of the impact of humanistic methods on autism practice: a preliminary study Anna Robinson, Ian Galbraith, Lorna Carrick Advances in Autism, Vol. 7, No. 2, pp.114-128 Autistic people are subject to having their behaviour shaped from a variety of practitioners predominantly using behaviourist methodologies. Little is known about how learning alternative humanistic methodologies impacts practitioner experiences of relational encounters with autistic people. This paper aims to develop an understanding of practitioner experiences of using person-centred counselling (PCC) skills and contact reflections (CR) when engaging with autistic people. This qualitative study used an interpretive approach to help elucidate perceptions of changing practice. It involved a framework analysis of 20 practitioner’s experiential case study accounts. An overarching theme emerged: subtle transformations resulted from shifting practice paradigms. Four broad themes were identified: “A different way of being”; “Opening heightened channels of receptivity”; “Trust in self-actualising growth” and “Expanding relational ripples”. The findings suggest that PCC and CRs skills training shows promise in providing practitioners with a different way of being with autistic people that enhances their capacity towards neurotypical-neurodivergent intersubjectivity. The authors speculate on the power dynamics of care relationships and t...
Source: Advances in Autism - Category: Child Development Authors: Source Type: research