Youth and Caregivers’ Perspective on Teens Engaged as Mentors (TEAM): An Inclusive Peer Mentoring Program for Autistic Adolescents
Name
10803_2022_5543_ReferencePDF.pdf
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1.25 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
b2d51253a5837779a358f39b854bf00b
Author(s)
O’Hagan, Belinda
Sonikar, Pooja
Grace, River
Castillo, Dasha
Chen, Emily
Agrawal, Malhaar
Dufresne, Simone
Rossetti, Zach
Bartolotti, Lauren
Krauss, Shari
Date Issued
April 6, 2022
Publisher
Springer US
Citation
O’Hagan, Belinda, Sonikar, Pooja, Grace, River, Castillo, Dasha, Chen, Emily et al. 2022. "Youth and Caregivers’ Perspective on Teens Engaged as Mentors (TEAM): An Inclusive Peer Mentoring Program for Autistic Adolescents."
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
Abstract
Past studies indicate that many autistic youth benefit from support with developing social relationships, exploring leadership opportunities, and engaging in post-secondary education. Teens Engaged as Mentors (TEAM) is an innovative mentoring program that provides socialization and community engagement opportunities in a safe environment for youth with and without autism. This qualitative study explored how participants and their caregivers perceived participation in TEAM. Stakeholder focus groups were conducted annually from 2016 to 2020 with 16 autistic mentees (ages 9–13), 30 autistic and neurotypical mentors (ages 14–21), and 30 caregivers. Participants reported enjoying TEAM because of increased socialization opportunities, which promoted friendships and openness toward others. Caregivers reported growth in their children’s social skills and confidence throughout their participation.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05543-w
