Social Workers Understanding of Autistic Spectrum Disorders - Book Report/Review Example

Critique of Published Research 1st June 2009 of Research: Social Workers' Understanding of Autistic Spectrum Disorders: An Exploratory Investigation Author(s): David Preece and Rita Jordan Source: British Journal of Social Work (2007) doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcl089 David Preece and Rita Jordan both are highly intellectual and have served in the field for many years. David has worked as a Team Manager, Services for Children with Autism, for Northamptonshire Children and Families. He has worked with children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) for over 15 years. While Rita Jordan established a pre-school group and toy library for those then excluded from education in the UK. Following a research based MSc in Child Development. She then taught in mainstream and special schools, including one for ASD (for nine years).The research questions were taken from a previous research study and edited for necessary reasons. This definitely did not require any assessment of the role of the researcher and/or possible bias; mainly because the questions were anonymous, straightforward and had little or no amount of influence. The only influence mainly came from respondents being unsure and having doubts about their skills to be a good social worker. Nonetheless, data collection occurred through post and that does not require much role of the researcher other than the question asked on the survey. Sample recruitment was done in an absolute manner which disregarded personal opinions and views. The choice of location for conducting the research study was done in an acceptable region and a survey was done on the participants. This helped in assessing the experiences of social workers and their ages. Had the researchers gone in to collect the data their personal interactions could have had some influence on the responses, (Middleton & Stephenson 1999). The researchers' response to events during the study was not important enough to be included within the research paper. The reason was that the questions were undemanding and the researchers were prepared for any sort of range in the results. Also, their consideration of suggesting any changes in the research design while it was being carried out was not possible because the research was quantitative and not qualitative. As the researchers have very clearly defined their aims and therefore there is no doubt left about what will come further. In the introduction, the researchers have described previous studies and thus built up the bridge very efficiently. The aims of the study are: The causes of ASD and their main behavioural features; Appropriate intervention methods and types of provision. Researchers have studied relevant previous researches which helped in building up the clear aims and objectives of the study. Researchers also have used same survey but different method to find the results. The purpose of the study is broad (as there have been a lot of research done till now) but the aims of this research is very precise. Qualitative methodology is very helpful in providing valuable information to certain research questions in its own right but there is also a very strong case of using it to complement quantitative research methods. Researchers have chosen all the social workers present in the area and sent the surveys by post. While the questionnaire which researchers used was Mavropoulou and Padeliadu's Questionnaire on Autism (2000), which itself was based on earlier research (Stone and Rosenbaum, 1988). Respondents' opinions were sought regarding; the causes and diagnosis of ASD; their general knowledge of ASD; their perceived characteristics of ASD; and the treatment of ASD, including specialized provision. The qualitative methodology is not fully applied to the research methodology only just few questions are filled by the respondents using their own understanding. Some of the questions also give some recommendations, which are meant for future research. But it is noticed that there are many limitations in the study like confusions in characteristics of ASD, scientific terminology, etc. Usually Qualitative research helps in getting more information about social sciences but sample population was too less, it increases the number of limitations. The aims of the study were pretty much clear; investigation of the causes and behavioural differences and an emphasis on appropriate intervention methods and types of provision. To find out about the interventions the researchers surveyed the relative people (social workers) which by using different types of 'knowledge' about the same phenomenon added to the current research. This exploratory study was, therefore, carried out to examine, through the use of an anonymous questionnaire, the knowledge and views of social workers, working with disabled children. Although results have shown limitation in this quantitative research; it totally focuses on the subjective nature of human experience. As social workers, it does help broaden our horizon of present knowledge buy studying other's experiences. The subjects were taken on the basis of selected on available social workers of the English local authority, which had 256 children with ASD; and were registered on the local authority's register of disabled children. All the data is explained in the result along with all the possible limitation observed by the researchers during calculating the results which also shows that the data is cleared from all sort of biases. In the end I would like to say that although to some extent the research questions are answered but it also resulted in many confusions and it does require further research. The researchers used English Shire County, where there is social work support available for the children with ASD from two Disabled Children's Teams (North and South). Researchers have sent the questionnaire to all the social workers including: one service manager; two team managers; two principal social workers; fifteen social workers; Seven social work assistants. The total number of registered ASD children was 256 on the local authority's register of disabled children. While only 135 which make 52.7% were getting some sort of support like, play scheming receiving short breaks etc. Researchers used the tool, which is already been used for assessing the perception of teachers so they had to alter the questions, because they were focusing on the social care sector. Questionnaire was sent to all the 27 workers by post, but received 23 back with a response of 96% which was ideal to answer the required research questions. (Three workers were on long-term sick leave; thus, the total possible number of responses was twenty-four). Researchers further describe the sex of the respondents i.e. nineteen were female, while 3 were male (plus one didn't indicate the gender). Age range was from twenty-one to fifty-six, with a mean age of 44.1 years (SD = 8.2). Experience working with disabled children and their families ranged from under a year to twenty-eight years, with a mean of 9.4 years (SD = 7.4). Sixteen workers (69.6 per cent) had previous mainstream child-care experience, ranging from a year to sixteen years (mean = 6 years, SD = 5.0), and nine workers (39.1 per cent) had worked with disabled adults, for periods ranging from a year to twenty years (mean = 2.9 years, SD = 3.0). Researchers used a quantitative methodology i.e. surveys. They sent out 24 questionnaires in total, while 23 were returned which makes 96% response. The setting of data collection was dependent on the available number of social workers in the area of local English shire county. It was to some extent able to assess the understanding of that focus group related to ASD disability. Researcher used the tool, which was already used for assessing teachers so they had to edit a lot of questions as they were focusing on the social workers. Although there is no specific reason for choosing this form of data collection it enabled the minimal bias from the researchers, which proved to be a good choice, (Rubin & Babbie 2008). Methodology has been briefly explained by the researchers, they evaluated the characteristics of ASD by giving 23 options in one question. Three which got highest percentage were child wants to keep his/her environment the same, that he/she avoids change in his/her daily routine and that he/she has obsessions. Social workers in this field have better understanding of how to work with the children who are affected by this condition. Therefore it was interesting to find out that, regarding the treatment of ASD, 87 per cent of respondents indicated a strong belief in the effectiveness of specialized interventions. The method through which they collected the data was very clear as the response percentage shows; which is 96 percent. The methods were not altered during the research, so the result showed some limitations. Since not all respondents were not qualified social workers this could have influence on the results. One might want to assume that since the social work assistants in the teams work with qualified social workers in supporting children with ASD their qualifications in ASD knowledge might not affect the results. Had this been generalised into a much wider research group, then this effect could clearly have an impact on the results. The researchers have discussed the saturation of data, which is why they have shown clear limitations and confusions that resulted from survey. For example, larger-scale studies across other, diverse local authorities, particularly those where specific services for children with ASD are less developed, and where social work support is differently organized and provided, would add to the knowledge base, and would identify whether the implications of this study have relevance beyond its immediate setting. The participants were sent the questionnaire through post but there is no mention of notifying them of the study being carried out. Likewise, there was no reference to the explanation of ethical issues to the respondents; though the researchers were aware of the participants' designations and experiences with children suffering from ASD. However the issue of ethics wasn't raised particularly because parents of children suffering from ASD constantly report that social workers fail to understand the nature of autism and they also tend to misapprehend or miscalculate the needs of these children and their families. They also lack the skills to work with them successfully. Then again, social workers are generally good people and they work to the benefit of the society they live in, raising any sort of ethical issues at this point is not fair to them, they could be simply taught these skills to solve the presiding issue. In addition, the ethical standards didn't need to be maintained because ethically, the study was just to analyse the extent to which the social workers were correct or wrong about ASD. Hence, approval of any sort regarding the ethical committee was only needed for information purposes. However, the issues raised by the study were simple and did not require any sort of importance. This is because the study was simply carried out to acknowledge the extent of understanding the undermining features tied to the accurate diagnosis of the disorder. The data analysis was discussed under the heading of results. Thematic analysis was clear and concisely addressed in accordance to the data collected. The questionnaire used was of Mavropoulou and Padeliadu's Questionnaire on Autism (2000) and was rephrased. The data to be analysed came from the authors themselves and was peer-reviewed before being published. This means that the data is reliable and hasn't gone through any changes in accordance to the rules. It was a postal survey and the questionnaire was sent to all the workers in a specific area. The data was put into tables and analysed through scores. Moreover, although the total number of participants was 27 only 15 of them were social workers and 7 were assistants to social workers. This not only affects how the results are perceived but also the overall aim of the study. This is due to the fact that social workers are more important and they should first be aware of ASD than assistants or managers. There is no explanation of how the existing data were selected from the original questionnaire to give a demonstration of the analysis process. Moreover, the data was presented in the form of tables and percentages, means and SDs were given to fully explain it. It is at times difficult to completely assess the data collected as the data is a lot to process. Contradictory data was inferred upon such as the theory that ASD develops because of the mother's lack of emotional response towards her child. Also the belief that mumps, measles and rubella vaccine is the cause of ASD was contradicting. The concept that diagnosis can be done through anything besides psychiatric examination was opposing. There was no clear understanding of the characteristics of ASD; there were more than twenty-two of them. The researchers did not as so much critically considered their own role, possible bias and persuasion during the investigation and selection of data for presentation. The study strengthens the benefits of using ASD-specific social workers so that they will have a clear understanding of what they are doing. Training will not only help the social workers but also children with ASD and their parents. The value of this research showed that the results were more or less expected but also that much work is needed to be done. A trained social worker knows the causes, diagnosis, treatment, characteristics along with having some general knowledge about ASD. This will truly improve the workers' overall ability and the lack in confidence will also be overcome easily. It has been stated that social workers are likely to hold certain beliefs about ASD which affect literally everything from their attitude to mistaken assumptions and assessment of needs. The results in the study are made clear and simple with headings relating to five major findings and the findings are to an extent biased. Especially the variance in the characteristics of the ASD as consensus was reached on a very low level which is not fair. The arguments are more or less discussed adequately though most of the findings clashed with inaccurate or little knowledge about the disorders. The social workers had general knowledge of ASD while the main argument being that the onset of ASD was after three years which is a general misconception. This misunderstanding is a little surprising considering the common knowledge of its onset before 2 years. The credibility has been thoroughly researched and because the conclusions, such as the one relating to the correct diagnosis of ASD; need confirmation as it is. While, the diagnosis wasn't mentioned in the research questions it was researched. Moreover, this question is simple enough and the fact that 5% of the respondents were wrong about diagnosis through neurological assessment. The causes of ASD are largely brain damage and heredity as ASD is recognized to have biological origins even though some respondents regarded the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine as one of the causes of ASD, main or otherwise. The research questions were discussed in detail including the interventions but there was no comparison to other similar studies. In addition, no mention of the limitations and its effects to the findings of the present study were pointed out. Conclusion The researchers discuss relation of the significance of the study to the present knowledge social workers may or may not have of Autistic Spectrum Disorders; but it is clearly stated that the results are only based on the respondents' answers and not in general. Moreover, the amount of limitations such as factual errors (composition of disorders in ASD), characteristics of ASD (very few and specific rather than a lot and dispersed), confusion about terminology and special interventions (incorrect understanding of approaches) makes it less valuable. This statement is not helpful in general because it limits the findings on specific characteristics of the surroundings in which the study is conducted. Hence, the study doesn't add anything except that such studies about social workers need to be done on a much larger scale and in different settings so that it can be easily generalized. Although, it has been stated that further research is much needed in order to better understand the basis of the perceptions and beliefs held by the social workers as this has some impact on the correct diagnosis and treatment of ASD patients. ASD patients have a very specific list of characteristics which is not much comprehensive. There is no discussion of the study being applied to any other population than the one present in the study as it is believed that this is something which is not consistent. On the other hand, the use of this particular research is helpful in the provision of ASD-specific training for qualified persons. The fact that most of the social workers don't have much confidence in their skills is one way where other social workers can know that this is a general problem which can be dealt with in time. References: 1. Burns, N. & Grove, S. (2005). The practice of nursing research: Conduct, critique, and utilization 5th edition. St. Louis, MI: Elesvier Inc. 2. Prism troy. (2003). Research Critique: Increasing perceptions of self-worth in preadolescents diagnosed with ADHD. Journal of Nursing Scholarship. Retrieved on 15th May 2009 from http://prism.troy.edu/wforehand/Research_Critque.pdf References continued: 3. Wyllys. E.R. (2002). Introduction to research in library and information science. Evaluating Reports of Research of the University of Texas at Austin School of Information. Retrieved on 14th May 2009 from http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/wyllys/IRLISMaterials/evaluatingres.html 4. Research Mindedness in Social Work and Social Care, Centre for Human Service Technology accessed on 16th May 2009 from http://www.resmind.swap.ac.uk/content/06_making_sense/making_sense_ind 5. Adams, R., Dominelli, L. and Payne, M. (2002) Critical Practice in Social Work Basingstoke, Palgrave. 6. Bullock R, Gooch D, Little, and Mount, K. (1998) Research in practice: experiments in development and information design. Aldershot. Ashgate. 7. Middleton, L. & Stephenson, O. (1999) Disabled Children: Challenging Social Exclusion (Working Together for Children, Young People, and Their Families) Blackwell Science Ltd. 8. Rubin, A. & Babbie, R. (2008) Research Methods for Social Work 6th edition, Thomson Brooks/Cole. 9. Notbohm, E. (2005) Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew, Future Horizons Inc. 10. Brown, T and Jones, L. (2001) Action Research and Postmodernism: Congruence and Critique (Conducting Educational Research), Open University Press. 11. Wodak, R. & Meyer, M. (2001) Methods of Critical Discourse Analysis (Introducing Qualitative Methods series), Sage Publications ltd. 12. Stone, W.L. and Coonrod, E. (2004) Journal of Autism vol. 17, Early Concerns of Parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins Inc. Accessed on 26 May 2009 from http://journals.lww.com/iycjournal/Abstract/2004/07000/Early_Concerns_of_Parents_of_Children_With.7.aspx Read More