Family perspectives on educational experiences, post-school needs, and quality of life of young autistic adults

Figures & data

Table 1. Inclusion criteria for the selection of participants.

• The participant’s family member must have received a diagnosis of ASD according to the DSM V or a subtype of ASD according to the earlier diagnostic criteria outlined in the DSM IV.

• This diagnosis may have been provided by a Psychologist or Psychiatrist alone or in conjunction with other healthcare professionals such as a Speech and Language Therapist.

• They must also have been living in Ireland for more than 15 years, to ensure sufficient exposure to English to warrant fluent acquisition of the language.

• The participant’s family member must also have started, completed or left second-level education.

• The family member must be at least eighteen years of age.

Table 2. Participant information.

Participant Pseudonym	Alison	Beth	Caroline	Deirdre
Relationship to a young adult with ASD	Older sister	Mother	Mother	Mother
Age of young adult with ASD	21	18	18	19
Sex of young adult with ASD	Female	Female	Female	Male
Official diagnosis of a young adult with ASD	High Functioning Autism	Asperger’s Syndrome	Moderate Autism	Asperger’s Syndrome
Co-occurring diagnosis of a young adult with ASD	None	None	Intellectual disability	Dyspraxia