A Personal Constructivist Approach for Investigating the Patterns of Dependency of Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Case Study of Two Families

Abstract

. (2016). A personal constructivist approach for investigating the patterns of dependency of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: case study of two families. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 29 (1), 30-50. A personal constructivist approach for investigating the patterns of dependency of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: case study of two families AbstractThis research investigated the utility and practicality of dependency grids for capturing and presenting the dependency distribution patterns of three adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. The investigation also involved family members to explore their level of awareness of the adolescents' dependency preferences. The grids were analyzed using a range of measures, including the uncertainty index and partial order scalogram analysis. Findings indicate the adolescents had various ways of dispersing their dependencies among their resources and differed in the types of support most used. Additionally, family members differed in their awareness of the adolescents' preferences. The benefits and drawbacks of the adolescents' dependency distribution patterns are discussed, as well as implications of these patterns for family members. Ways in which dependency grids may be further used with this population in research and clinical contexts are also considered.Keywords two, families, study, case, spectrum, autism, constructivist, adolescents, approach, dependency, patterns, investigating, disorder, personal

Determining the components of cohesion using the repertory grid technique.

“…PCT derives from the theoretical work of George Kelly and is a constructivist approach to understanding human perception and behavior (Kelly, 1955(Kelly, /1991. PCT suggests that we create a personal cognitive theoretical framework (our personal construct system) that we innately Sense of belonging use to understand our environment (Cridland et al, 2014). Kelly (1955Kelly ( /1991) defined personal constructs as a "way in which some things are construed as alike and yet different from others" (p. 105).…”

“…The RGT is “a form of structured interviewing, with ratings or without, which arrives at a precise description uncontaminated by the interviewer’s own viewpoint” (Jankowicz, 2004, p. 14) and is a methodological application of the PCT (Hair, Rose, & Clark, 2009). The RGT has been applied to social (Hair et al, 2009; Hill, Wittkowski, Hodgkinson, Bell, & Hare, 2016), business (Klapper, 2014), consumer (Marsden & Littler, 2000), and clinical fields of research (Beail, 1985; Cridland, Caputi, Jones, & Magee, 2014; McNair, Woodrow, & Hare, 2016). The RGT has been used with various research aims but is more commonly used to develop theory that is grounded (Patton, 2002) or when the literature is limited (Easterby-Smith, Thorpe, & Lowe, 2002; Eisenhardt, 1989).…”

Social engagement and loneliness in school-age autistic girls and boys

“…These findings corroborate the work of Dean et al, 32 in which autistic girls were able to blend into the female social landscape at school by emulating the social behaviors of non-autistic girls. 32 , 49 , 54 Non-autistic girls tend to fluidly move from activity to activity and from peer to peer throughout the duration of recess or other social periods while maintaining joint engagement throughout the observation period. 32 Autistic elementary-age girls emulate the fluidity of non-autistic female groups but appear to have difficulty sustaining joint engagement.…”

“…This may be partially explained by difficulty interpreting implicit social rules in neurotypical female groups. 53 , 54 The complexity of female adolescent relationships may lead to camouflage fatigue, making it difficult to sustain effective camouflaging behaviors and leading autistic girls to avoid social interactions altogether.…”