Shea Lindsay L, Wong Mi-Yeet, Song Wei, Kaplan Katy, Uppal Disha, Salzer Mark S
A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, Drexel University, 3020 Market Street, Suite 560, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
College of Public Health, Temple University, 1101 W Montgomery Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA.
J Autism Dev Disord. 2024 Feb;54(2):409-422. doi: 10.1007/s10803-022-05816-4. Epub 2022 Nov 12.
Peer support has been an undeveloped pathway for filling the service gap and to generate employment opportunities for autistic individuals. Peer supports have been deployed widely in mental health and among veterans and understanding the utility of this service modality among autistic individuals illuminates opportunities for research, policy, and practice. This study examined characteristics of participants in an autistic-delivered peer support program and reports on use of and satisfaction with the program. Half of autistic participants had a co-occurring mental health diagnosis. Participants reported multiple areas of unmet needs and participant satisfaction with the program was high (90%). The findings of this study point toward autistic-delivered peer support as a promising avenue for future development.
同伴支持一直是填补服务缺口以及为自闭症患者创造就业机会的一条尚未充分发展的途径。同伴支持已在心理健康领域和退伍军人中广泛应用，了解这种服务模式在自闭症患者中的效用为研究、政策和实践带来了机遇。本研究调查了一个由自闭症患者提供的同伴支持项目参与者的特征，并报告了该项目的使用情况和满意度。一半的自闭症参与者同时患有心理健康诊断。参与者报告了多个未满足需求的领域，并且对该项目的满意度很高（90%）。本研究结果表明，由自闭症患者提供的同伴支持是未来发展的一个有前景的途径。
