'That connection with community… it is just a positive thing': Mentoring autistic adolescents participating in community coding programmes.
Ben Milbourn, Lilian Cairns, Caitlin Cartwright and 3 others
PMID 40129125WHAT IT FOUND
Mentors and facilitators described coding clubs as a social process where they gained confidence, skills and community.
They reported personal satisfaction and better mental health, but also stress from unclear roles. They asked for more training and clearer expectations to support autistic adolescents effectively.
Key findings
01Mentors and facilitators reported that their own confidence, interpersonal skills and understanding of neurodiversity improved over time through the mentoring process.
02Participants described a sense of community and personal satisfaction as key benefits, which positively impacted their mental health.
03Stress and anxiety were reported due to unclear role expectations and high demands, leading participants to request more specific training and support.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study included only ten participants from two specific programs in two Australian states, limiting the generalisability of the findings. The perspectives of the autistic adolescents themselves were not collected, so the study reflects only the mentors' and facilitators' views. Data was collected via both online focus groups and one-to-one interviews, which may have influenced the depth of responses differently.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these positive outcomes as evidence that the coding programs improve the autistic adolescents' skills or wellbeing. The study only reports the experiences of the adults mentoring them, and no data was collected from the young people themselves.