Autistic-Delivered Peer Support: A Feasibility Study.
Lindsay L Shea, Mi-Yeet Wong, Wei Song and 3 others
PMID 36369602WHAT IT FOUND
Autistic-delivered peer support was feasible for 29 Medicaid-eligible autistic youth and adults. 90% were satisfied, 70% would recommend it, and 65% said it was culturally sensitive.
Key findings
01Participants had many support needs, with social life endorsed by 86% of 29 participants.
02Participants reported an average of 13.2 meetings in the first 3 months and about 2.59 hours per week.
03Participants reported satisfaction and acceptability items: 18 of 20 reported overall satisfaction, 14 of 20 would recommend the service, and 13 of 20 found it culturally sensitive.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
This was a feasibility study with 29 enrolled participants, and all participants received CAPS, so it cannot show that CAPS caused changes in participants' lives. Follow-up information was limited: 20 participants reported satisfaction, 19 completed the relationship questionnaire, and 5 peer specialists reported satisfaction; the discussion also notes only 19 participants and 4 peer specialists completed 3-month measures. The sample included only one participant with an intellectual disability, and the program did not provide tailored services for non-speaking individuals or people who use non-traditional communication methods. The authors set an 80% benchmark, and the reported satisfaction items for recommendation and cultural sensitivity were 70% and 65%, which fell below that benchmark. The pandemic changed service delivery to mostly virtual contacts from March 2020, so results may not apply to in-person delivery alone. The paper had no qualitative data, so it could not determine why some participants did not recommend the service.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the 90% satisfaction rate as proof that this service improves autism symptoms or daily functioning. The paper reports only participants who received CAPS and measured feasibility and acceptability, not clinical outcomes.