Identifying the Essential Components of Strength-based Technology Clubs for Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ABSTRACT

Background: Strength-based technology clubs for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have become increasingly popular; however, they remain poorly described in the literature. Before the impact and benefit of strength-based technology clubs can be measured, consistency in their design and delivery must be established. This study aimed to identify the essential components of strength-based technology clubs by exploring context, mechanisms, and outcomes of existing strength-based technology clubs.

Method: Twenty-three adolescents with ASD (mean age 12.96 years, SD = 1.86, range = 10–18 years), 25 parents (mean age 46.08 years, SD = 8.27, range = 33–69 years), and 20 facilitators (mean age 27.93 years, SD = 6.55, range = 20–46 years) were purposively sampled from three established strength-based technology clubs. Data were obtained via ethnographic methods, including participant observations, interviews, and focus groups. Data analysis was underpinned by a realist evaluation, which provided the context-mechanism-outcome framework.

Results: Data analysis revealed that strength-based technology clubs had four context themes (personal factors of adolescents, personal factors of facilitators, personal factors of parents, institution), three mechanism themes (activity design, strengths and abilities, environment), and three outcome themes (skill building, connection with others, emotion).

Conclusion: The results highlighted the importance of understanding the personal context of adolescents, providing an individualized approach, leveraging individual interests, and modifying the environment to suit the individual. The findings contributed to defining a strength-based approach within ASD, and have demonstrated that positive outcomes can be achieved by focusing on strengths rather than deficits. Future ASD services can use the results as a framework for applying a strength-based approach. The efficacy of newly designed strength-based programs can then be tested.

KEYWORDS:

• Autism spectrum disorder
• strength-based approach
• thematic analysis
• qualitative research
• computer coding
• technology clubs

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all the adolescents, parents, and facilitators for participating in this study. We are also thankful to the strength-based services providers AASQA CoderDojo, Autism West and Firetech Australia who agreed to take part in this study.

Declaration Of Conflicting Interests

Sven Bölte declares no direct conflict of interest related to this article. Bölte discloses that he has in the last five years acted as an author, consultant or lecturer for Shire/Takeda, Medice, Roche, Eli Lilly, Prima Psychiatry, and SB Education and Psychological Consulting AB. He receives royalties for text books and diagnostic tools from Huber/Hogrefe, Kohlhammer and UTB.

Additional information

Funding

This study was financially supported by the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre. The grant provided by Bankwest allowed the AASQA CoderDojo and Firetech Austalia to be delivered free of charge to the client.