Involvement in the Online Autistic Community, Identity, Community, and Well-Being

Past research has largely focused on the negative aspects of well-being of autistic young adults during the post-school transition. Research that meaningfully includes autistic individuals and captures their perspectives of positive well-being is essential for stakeholders to better understand how to provide services that respond to the needs and wants of the autistic community. In the current study, 14 autistic young adults in a post-school transition program participated in a Photovoice project and used photos to express their ideas about well-being. A participatory action research approach was used to support participants’ active engagement in the research processes and to encourage meaningful expression of their first-person perspectives. Results revealed an account of well-being reflecting expressions of individuality and growth, the significance of having close relationships, and a sense of connection with the community. This study has implications for research and practice that promotes well-being among the autistic community using approaches that are ethically informed and inclusive of autistic voices. Lay abstract Past research has mainly focused on autistic people’s deficits and poor outcomes compared to other groups of people. Little is known about their positive life experiences, and how to support them to achieve a higher quality of life. It is important to include autistic individuals in research so that they can influence how their voices are represented in a meaningful way and how the research results will be useful to them. In this study, a university researcher collaborated with 14 autistic young adults in a post-school transition program to design and run the research, collect and analyze the data, and use the results to create a presentation to the community. Specifically, the participants took photos in daily life and discussed their ideas about what a good life means to them. Results showed that these young adults described themselves as uniquely and different, but they were eager to learn and adapt. They also valued their relationships with their families, friends, and animals around them, as well as the community at large. This research shows that autistic individuals have important perspectives to share and knowledge to contribute when they are given the opportunities to participate in different aspects of research. The findings will be useful in developing services and influencing policies that promote well-being among autistic adults.

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Efficacy and well-being in rural north India: The role of social identification with a large-scale community identity

European Journal of Social Psychology ◽

10.1002/ejsp.2060 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 44 (7) ◽

pp. 787-798 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Sammyh S. Khan ◽

Nick Hopkins ◽

Shruti Tewari ◽

Narayanan Srinivasan ◽

Stephen David Reicher ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Well Being ◽

Social Identification ◽

Community Identity ◽

North India

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The Significance of Community for Greek Australians Living in Diaspora

Athens Journal of Social Sciences ◽

10.30958/ajss.8-4-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 221-230

Author(s):

Maria-Irini Avgoulas ◽

Rebecca Fanany

Keyword(s):

Lived Experience ◽

Social Connectedness ◽

Cultural Practices ◽

Emotional Health ◽

Well Being ◽

Community Identity ◽

Narrative Ethnography ◽

Health And Wellbeing ◽

Health Related ◽

Multicultural Communities

This paper will elucidate the importance of community and the significance of this for Greek Australians living in diaspora. It is based on a series of qualitative research projects undertaken by very experienced researchers, exemplifying both an emic and etic position relative to this diaspora population. Through the application of Narrative Ethnography, the lived experience of this population across the generations will be discussed. This experience will be further highlighted through the presentation of a profile of the Greek community in Melbourne illustrating the lived experience and community identity of its members. This will exemplify perceptions of what ‘community’, ‘community connections’ and ‘social connectedness’ mean to Greek Australians and allow the influence on their emotional health and wellbeing to be examined. This lived experience aims to show how a perception of Greekness influences health-related behavior, especially diet and nutrition, and creates a sense of wellbeing among members of the community. The findings of this study have wider implications for the understanding of the Greek experience in Australia and show the importance of community and the significance of cultural practices to overall psychological wellbeing. They also contribute to a wider knowledge base and will inform interventions intended to address well-being and health for members of the Greek population. This might be of assistance in policy making and meeting the health needs of multicultural communities more broadly. Keywords: Community, Greek Australian, Diaspora, Qualitative, Narrative Ethnography

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Memory for Social Sustainability: Recalling Cultural Memories in Zanqit Alsitat Historical Street Market, Alexandria, Egypt

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12198141 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (19) ◽

pp. 8141 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Fatmaelzahraa Hussein ◽

John Stephens ◽

Reena Tiwari

Keyword(s):

Social Engagement ◽

Cultural Memory ◽

Methodological Approach ◽

Social Sustainability ◽

Well Being ◽

Place Identity ◽

Community Identity ◽

Urban Landscapes ◽

Collective Memories ◽

Group A

Historic urban landscapes (HULs) are composed of layers of imbedded tangible and intangible features such as cultural memories. As the collective memories of city inhabitants, cultural memories can affect elements of social sustainability such as health, well-being, community identity, place perception and social engagement. Utilising the popular Zanqit Alsitat (also known as ‘Zanket el-Setat’ or ‘Zane’t El-Settat’), the only remaining historical street market in Alexandria, Northern Egypt, this research proposes a theoretical model for recalling and continuity of cultural memory features in HULs, which can be used to achieve social sustainability. The research explored the site by applying a qualitative methodological approach through semi-structured in-person interviews in the study site, along with analysis of comments obtained from a research-purposed social media (Facebook) group. A qualitative data management software (NVivo12 programme) was utilised for interpretation and charting the features of stored cultural memories relating to this place. The study indicates that educing and maintaining the features of cultural memory in HULs contributes to social sustainability through its influence on the formation of place identity, sense of place, civic pride and quality of life. This framework for social sustainability in HULs can be applied by engaging social groups through participatory planning.

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Identification of Adaptive Capacity’s Drivers in an Urban River Neighbourhood based on Community Experiences

Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities ◽

10.47836/pjssh.29.2.20 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 29 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Rohana Mohd Firdaus ◽

Mohd Hisyam Rasidi ◽

Ismail Said

Keyword(s):

Adaptive Capacity ◽

Social Memory ◽

Well Being ◽

Community Response ◽

Urban River ◽

Community Identity ◽

Social Aspects ◽

Learning From Experience ◽

Group Discussions ◽

The People

Urban river neighbourhood communities have been swiftly adapting to rapid urbanisation despite the unsolved issues with their rivers. These issues indicate that there are gaps that need to be addressed, particularly the ones related to social aspects. In an attempt to fill in those gaps, this study aimed to identify the drivers of the adaptive capacity of an urban river neighbourhood community in Kg. Pertanian, Kulai, Johor. Data were elicited through focus group discussions with 27 residents followed by subsequent personal interviews. The obtained transcriptions were analysed by Nvivo12. From the results, it was found that there were three dominant drivers, namely ‘community identity’, ‘community response’, and ‘stakeholder agency’. ‘Community identity’ refers to the community’s contentment with life and its essential neighbourly relationships. ‘Community response’ reflects the community’s process of learning from experience and how its residents used the knowledge to benefit the community’s well-being. Finally, ‘stakeholder agency’ encompasses the community’s engagement and communication with stakeholders to avoid conflict during upcoming planning for its urban river and neighbourhood. These drivers were based on the community’ experiences or social memory. Interactions during floods and community events became the foundation for social memory. The interactions also bonded the people in the community, which was evident from the residents’ participation. All in all, the adaptive capacity and consequently the resilience of the urban river neighbourhood community can be attributed to three drivers: ‘community identity’, ‘community response’, and ‘stakeholder agency’.

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Brief Report: Exploring Some Aspects of Social Activism in the Online Autistic Community

10.31234/osf.io/nqkgr ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Matthew J. Bolton ◽

Lara K. Ault

Keyword(s):

Social Issues ◽

Perceived Discrimination ◽

Social Activism ◽

First Language ◽

Repetitive Behaviors ◽

Internalized Stigma ◽

Autistic People ◽

Neurological Conditions ◽

Online Autistic Community ◽

Autistic Community

The socio-political landscape surrounding autism, a set of neurological conditions existing on a spectrum and marked by difficulties in socializing, narrow interests, repetitive behaviors, and sensory sensitivities, has seen the neurodiversity social movement emerge with the perspective that neurological conditions represent normative differences rather than abnormality. Despite the movement, however, autistic people (we use both identity- and person-first language in our work, to respect the multiple language perspectives of people on the spectrum) still struggle with overt stigmatization. The present study tested the prediction that perceived discrimination–the extent to which individuals are aware of others’ negative views of their own group–would be related to higher levels of internalized stigma (the incorporation of stereotypes about one’s group into one’s identity), broad social activism, and autism/disability-related advocacy. Results partially supported hypotheses: Perceived discrimination and internalized stigma were negatively correlated, r(80) = -.55, p < .001; and general social-issues advocacy was negatively correlated with self-reported importance of disability, r(80) = -.22, p < .05 and autism-specific activism, r(80) = -.32, p < .01. In support, however, perceived discrimination correlated positively with the importance of autism-specific activism, r(80) = .38, p < .01, and with importance of general disability advocacy, r(80) =.28, p < .05. Hence, autistic people who valued activism reported engaging less in broad social-issues advocacy, but more in disability- and autism-related advocacy, and tended to perceive discrimination but not to internalize stigma. Implications for the activist online autistic community and future population-specific scale development are discussed.

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The Relationship Between Hearing Loss Self-Management and Hearing Aid Benefit and Satisfaction

American Journal of Audiology ◽

10.1044/2018_aja-18-0130 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (2) ◽

pp. 274-284 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Elizabeth Convery ◽

Gitte Keidser ◽

Louise Hickson ◽

Carly Meyer

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Hearing Loss ◽

Hearing Aids ◽

Clinical Decision Making ◽

Hearing Aid ◽

Well Being ◽

Self Report ◽

Self Management ◽

Hearing Aid Benefit ◽

The Relationship

Purpose Hearing loss self-management refers to the knowledge and skills people use to manage the effects of hearing loss on all aspects of their daily lives. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between self-reported hearing loss self-management and hearing aid benefit and satisfaction. Method Thirty-seven adults with hearing loss, all of whom were current users of bilateral hearing aids, participated in this observational study. The participants completed self-report inventories probing their hearing loss self-management and hearing aid benefit and satisfaction. Correlation analysis was used to investigate the relationship between individual domains of hearing loss self-management and hearing aid benefit and satisfaction. Results Participants who reported better self-management of the effects of their hearing loss on their emotional well-being and social participation were more likely to report less aided listening difficulty in noisy and reverberant environments and greater satisfaction with the effect of their hearing aids on their self-image. Participants who reported better self-management in the areas of adhering to treatment, participating in shared decision making, accessing services and resources, attending appointments, and monitoring for changes in their hearing and functional status were more likely to report greater satisfaction with the sound quality and performance of their hearing aids. Conclusion Study findings highlight the potential for using information about a patient's hearing loss self-management in different domains as part of clinical decision making and management planning.

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Inclusion of Transgender Voice and Communication Training in a University Clinic

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/persp2.sig10.109 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2 (10) ◽

pp. 109-115 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jennifer Oates ◽

Georgia Dacakis

Keyword(s):

Training Program ◽

Clinical Education ◽

Well Being ◽

Evidence Base ◽

Communication Training ◽

Speech Language Pathology ◽

Transgender People ◽

Language Pathology ◽

Effectiveness Of Training ◽

Negative Impacts

Because of the increasing number of transgender people requesting speech-language pathology services, because having gender-incongruent voice and communication has major negative impacts on an individual's social participation and well-being, and because voice and communication training is supported by an improving evidence-base, it is becoming more common for universities to include transgender-specific theoretical and clinical components in their speech-language pathology programs. This paper describes the theoretical and clinical education provided to speech-language pathology students at La Trobe University in Australia, with a particular focus on the voice and communication training program offered by the La Trobe Communication Clinic. Further research is required to determine the outcomes of the clinic's training program in terms of student confidence and competence as well as the effectiveness of training for transgender clients.

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A Strengths-Based Approach to Autism: Neurodiversity and Partnering With the Autism Community

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/persp2.sig1.56 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 56-68 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Amy L. Donaldson ◽

Karen Krejcha ◽

Andy McMillin

Keyword(s):

Broad Spectrum ◽

First Language ◽

Family Members ◽

Community Identity ◽

Speech Language Pathologists

The autism community represents a broad spectrum of individuals, including those experiencing autism, their parents and/or caregivers, friends and family members, professionals serving these individuals, and other allies and advocates. Beliefs, experiences, and values across the community can be quite varied. As such, it is important for the professionals serving the autism community to be well-informed about current discussions occurring within the community related to neurodiversity, a strengths-based approach to partnering with autism community, identity-first language, and concepts such as presumed competence. Given the frequency with which speech-language pathologists (SLPs) serve the autism community, the aim of this article is to introduce and briefly discuss these topics.

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Improving Feeding Outcomes in the NICU: Moving From Volume-Driven to Infant-Driven Feeding

Perspectives on Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders (Dysphagia) ◽

10.1044/sasd19.3.68 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 19 (3) ◽

pp. 68-74 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Catherine S. Shaker

Keyword(s):

Intensive Care Unit ◽

Dynamic Systems ◽

Neonatal Intensive Care ◽

Well Being ◽

Dynamic Systems Theory ◽

Feeding Problems ◽

Care Giving ◽

Extremely Preterm ◽

Extremely Preterm Infants

Current research on feeding outcomes after discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) suggests a need to critically look at the early underpinnings of persistent feeding problems in extremely preterm infants. Concepts of dynamic systems theory and sensitive care-giving are used to describe the specialized needs of this fragile population related to the emergence of safe and successful feeding and swallowing. Focusing on the infant as a co-regulatory partner and embracing a framework of an infant-driven, versus volume-driven, feeding approach are highlighted as best supporting the preterm infant's developmental strivings and long-term well-being.

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