Theme 1 Project 28
| Project
title |
A parent survey of the narrative interests and skills of children with autism,
their siblings and peers |
|
Researchers |
Dr
Evelyn McGregor
(Education & Society,
School of Education), University of Edinburgh |
|
Keywords |
Autism;
narrative; survey; parents; development |
|
Abstract |
The
aim of the study is to gain information from parents on the narrative-related
interests, behaviours and skills of children with autism, their siblings and
peers, with a view to mapping variations by age and ability and identifying
predictors of fluency. Research has shown that children with autism have some
difficulties with narrating stories and events, but has not looked at the conditions
in which they might be engaged informally with narrative at home. The study
comprises a questionnaire survey of parents of children with autism aged 5-12
years. Where the child with autism has a non-autistic sibling,
parents will be invited to complete a matched questionnaire about the
interests of a sibling, to provide a comparison of levels and forms
of engagement. An additional participant group will comprise parents
of children aged 5-12 years where there is no autism in the family
to provide a between-family comparison. The survey spans a range of
ages to map the development of narrative skills and interests and any
changes in form of parental involvement. The study is being run across
Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen, involving around 30 schools and inviting the
participation of 1200 parents. Findings should help inform educational support
for the autism group, and map engagement with narrative at home within the typically
developing population through the primary years. |
|
Publications |
McGregor,
E., & Bennett, M. (2008). Narrative dependency and the false
belief task in autism. European Journal of Developmental Psychology,
5, 1-18
McGregor,
E., Núñez , M., Cebula, K., & Gómez
, J. C. (2008). Autism: An integrated view: Perspectives
from neurocognitive, clinical and intervention research. Wiley-Blackwell
publishers
|
|
Start
/end date |
August
2008 - February 2009 |
|
Funder
/amount |
British
Academy (small grant scheme) / £3,831
|
|
|
