Simberg

Hi everyone, A while ago I posted information about research I am conducting into AS/ASD and romantic relationships as part of my Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. For the research, I am seeking to recruit individuals with AS/ASD who have been formally diagnosed more than one year ago, and who are in relationships with neurotypical individuals for more than 12 months at the time of taking part; neurotypical partners of people with As/ASD are also invited to take part. The original post can be found here, although please note that the subsequent posts go somewhat off topic! I'm writing to let anyone potentially interested know that I am now able to offer e-mail correspondence as a way to interview participants about their experiences. This is in response to a suggestion made by an AS participant with whom I met for a face-to-face interview, who commented that he felt that written communication may have allowed him to express himself more fully. This also means that anyone in the UK is able to take part, regardless of your location. If anyone has an interest in taking part or finding out more, or has any comments to make, please send me a message. Best wishes to all, Joe

Many thanks for everyone's comments on the project - I have received a couple of e-mails about the research, and am happy to receive any further queries, comments, or expressions of interest - please feel free to message or e-mail me directly! Best wishes, Joe

Hi everyone, I'm sorry I didn't reply to some of the posts here sooner - I've only been checking the post every few days, and most of these appear to have sprung up within 24 hours of each other. I'm also sorry that my post seems to have led to some resentment between people making posts - this certainly was nothing I envisaged. It is true that any individual can only speak for themselves, although I think that, in doing so, many people often feel that they are coming from the perspective of other people who share their identity - but it is also often the case that other people sharing that identity may disagree, which in itself poses important questions about what it means to be, for example, 'an autistic individual'. Nonetheless, I'm interested in the perspectives of both people who feel that they can only speak for themselves, as well as of those who feel that their experiences say something about their identity. I hope noone's been too upset by the previous posts, or frightened off from replying. I'd still be very interested in hearing from anyone interested in taking part in the research, or simply in sharing their thoughts about the topics. Best wishes, Joe

Hi Darkshine, No worries about taking a while to reply - I'm just glad my response makes sense, and, yes, it's always helpful to practice putting into words ideas that sometimes might seem quite abstract. The project is still in the recruitment phase, which could last for a few months yet. However, other necessary preparations - e.g. reviewing related research and planning the analysis - is very much in progress. I am still looking for participants though, for anyone reading this post! It's interesting to come across someone else engaged in phenomenological research - can I ask in what context you're working? Best wishes, Joe

Hi Darkshine – thanks for replying to the post! You’ve raised some valid points. The decision to only interview one partner from any given couple was reached after some consideration with my supervisor, and stems both from the research question and practical considerations. In terms of the research question, the focus is on looking at common themes in the experiences of people with ASD in romantic relationships, and common themes in the experiences of NT individuals in relationships with ASD partners. Rather than to build a model of how such relationships ‘work’, my aim is to build an understanding of ‘what it is like’ for people with ASD to be in relationships with an NT partner, and ‘what it is like’ to have a partner with ASD. As such, only individual partners’ accounts are needed, as a participant’s partner could not necessarily tell us more about the participant’s own experiences. In terms of interesting similarities and differences in the experiences of people with ASD and NT partners, I will be comparing the themes emerging from ASD and NT participants’ experiences as whole groups, which should provide an indication of the sorts of similarities and differences that are likely to affect partners in individual relationships. That being said, it would, as you suggest, add another dimension to explore how individuals’ experiences compare directly with their partners’. However, in order to incorporate this into the study, it would be necessary to require that in each case both partners were interviewed, which, from other researchers’ experiences, can make it very difficult to find enough participants! It would also be interesting, as you say, to gather information from both NT/NT and ASD/ASD relationships, to look for significant similarities and differences between these different groups. The reason why I have not opted to follow this route (aside from the practical limitations on my project!) is that I am specifically interested in how, if at all, people with ASD and NT partners might feel that relating to other people in a different way from their partners affects their relationships. A research aim to focus on experiences does not require comparison groups, as I’m not seeking to say anything about how the experiences in ‘mixed couples’ might differ from those in other types of relationships. I hope this makes the reasons for the approach I've used a bit clearer. If you have any further thoughts, however, please do reply, or contact me by e-mail! Best wishes, Joe

Hello, I am a Trainee Clinical Psychologist in London and am carrying out research, as part of my doctorate, on romantic relationships in which one of the partners has a diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (including Asperger’s Syndrome). I am making this post to ask whether any members of this forum would be interested in taking part in the project, or would like to pass on details of the project to other individuals who might be interested. The research concerns ways in which people with ASD and their partners experience closeness in their relationships. For the research, I aim to interview both people with the diagnosis and 'neuro-typical' individuals in a relationship with someone with ASD about their experiences, although I am planning at this stage to only interview one person from any couple. At present, very little research has been carried out regarding romantic relationships in which one or both partners is affected by ASD. I therefore hope, through the project, to develop a greater understanding for professional and research communities of the values, experiences, and needs of people with ASD and their partners. I am able to provide anyone interested in the project with information sheets giving further details of the research. If anyone is interested in participating, or is curious about knowing more about the research, they can contact me by e-mail at u0933897@uel.ac.uk, and I will be happy to send through the information sheets, or to answer any queries. I am also always grateful for any comments or suggestions that others are able to provide regarding the project or its topic. Yours sincerely, Joe Schwaerzler Trainee Clinical Psychologist University of East London