SAAIL: Supporting Autistic Adults’ Intimate Lives
Research type
Research Study
Full title
SAAIL: Supporting Autistic Adults’ Intimate Lives
IRAS ID
299375
Contact name
Monique Huysamen
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Manchester Metropolitan University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 17 days
Research summary
This project focuses on autistic adults without learning disabilities in England. It aims to build an evidence base to inform social care policy and practice in England to better support autistic people to enjoy fulfilling intimate relationships. The project is divided into three interlinked work packages (WPs).
WP 1 is desk-based and uses only documents and publications that are available in the public domain. This includes a preliminary stakeholder analysis mapping exercise to identify key stakeholders necessary to ensure the relevance and impact of the project and a document analysis of published English health and social care documentation pertaining to the sexual and intimate relationships of autistic adults.
WP 2 uses qualitative research methods to engage autistic adults on the topic of intimate and sexual relationships and social care and support. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted online to gather a rich understanding of autistic adults’ experiences of navigating intimate and sexual relationships. Focus groups, informed by the interview data, will then be conducted to gather autistic adults’ collective thoughts about the nature of the social care services and resources they feel are most appropriate to support autistic adults to enjoy healthy intimate and sexual relationships.
WP 3 involves a series of three participatory workshops. These will involve a wide range of stakeholders in identifying the implications of the project’s research findings for social-care policy and practice. Stakeholders will be drawn from the groups identified in the initial mapping exercise, including autistic people, social-care providers, third-sector representatives and policy-makers. Stakeholders will be presented with some of the key themes that emerge from WP2. Collectively, they will identify which research findings have the most critical implications for social care, determine the best routes or pathways for impact, and identify the most appropriate audiences and knowledge users to communicate the resources and information.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/NW/0264
Date of REC Opinion
14 Oct 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion