ATAG
About our research
Our research aims to support autistic
people in a successful transition to adulthood.​
Over the next 10 years, in the UK ~175,000 autistic people will engage in transition to adulthood.
This is a challenging time, as they face the demands of adult life while support decreases.​
The charity 'Ambitious About Autism' is running a new peer support group called 'Understanding You, Discovering You'. We want to know whether enough young people are interested in taking part in our research to run a larger research project.​
Over the last year, we invited 70 autistic people aged 16-25 years old to take part in the study. All 70 of these young people were randomly allocated to receive either:
​- 'Care as Usual' (including any local mental health or post-diagnostic support options)
OR
- 'Understanding You, Discovering you' (the new peer-support group).​
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What is happening with the research now?
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We are currently in our 'follow-up' stage ('stage 4' below). This means that all participants have now been recruited and assigned to either of the two care options listed above.
Most participants have finished accessing care and are now receiving questionnaires. You can find out more about the research process below.
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How do I find out more?
You can find out more information by downloading the leaflets linked below:
Study Flyer
Participant Information - Easy Read​
You can also find more information by scrolling further down this page, or contacting us on atag@bath.ac.uk.
How did it work?
1.
First, potential participants completed our online screener, or contacted us to receive the link by email: atag@bath.ac.uk, or text: (+44) 7812707347.
2.
If they were eligible for the study, we organised a first study appointment, where we met with them on Microsoft Teams and discussed a questionnaire they had completed online.
3.
A computer then randomly assigned each participant to either the 'Understanding You, Discovering You' group, or 'Care as Usual'.
Each of these support options ran for 6 weeks.
4.
After 6 weeks accessing support, each participant is sent 3 more questionnaires, one every 2 months.
5.
Each participant's involvement in the study lasted/will last 24 weeks. Participants receive a £10 voucher for each questionnaire they complete (up to £40 in total).
Who was involved?
We invited young people who:
- Lived in England or Wales
- Were aged 16-25 years old
- Had a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Had not accessed any post-diagnostic or autism-specific support in the last 12 months.
Contact us
10 West, Department of Psychology
Claverton Downs
Bath
BA2 7AY
(+44) 7812707347