Abstract
The Journal of Social Inclusion (JoSI) is a peer-reviewed academic journal that will contribute to current knowledge and understanding of the social processes that marginalise individuals, families and communities. The journal will be published bi-annually under the guidance of an International Editorial Advisory Board. The Journal of Social Inclusion (JoSI) is an initiative of the School of Human Services and Social Work, Griffith University.
Highlights
Whilst there is a growing body of research pertaining to people with autism, a paucity of research concerning those with Level 3(American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013) autism is evident (Hills, Clapton, & Dorset, 2016)
Communication and social barriers have prevented the inclusion of people with nonverbal autism as direct respondents in research opportunities to date (Siegel, 2018)
This paper describes the methodological approach of a research study, Spirituality in the context of people with nonverbal autism
Summary
Whilst there is a growing body of research pertaining to people with autism, a paucity of research concerning those with Level 3 (severe -nonverbal)(American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013) autism is evident (Hills, Clapton, & Dorset, 2016). The assumption that people with nonverbal autism are intellectually impaired (Biklen, 2005) has been challenged by recent research that suggests traditional methods of intelligence testing (e.g., IQ, WISC-IV) may underestimate the abilities of children with autism (e.g., Courchesne, Simard-Meilleur, & Soulières, 2012; Grandin, 2011; Nader, Courchesne, Dawson, & Soulieres, 2016) Such was the case with the participants of this study, none of whom had been diagnosed with a learning or intellectual impairment. A recent scoping literature review confirmed the gap in available primary knowledge about people with Level 3 autism and concluded that there is a need for empirical investigation of the personal perspectives of this population, in relation to spirituality (Hills et al, 2016) This conclusion provided the impetus for the current study. Whilst there is little research which includes people with severe autism as direct respondents, there are virtually no studies pertaining to their perspectives regarding spirituality (Hills et al, 2016)
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