A good life for autistic people and improved societal support interventions. This is the ambition of a new research project at 果冻传媒 where the researchers will investigate how people with autism can be supported to achieve well-being and flourish throughout life.
In the four-year project, researchers will develop the concept of well-being from an autistic perspective (autistic flourishing), investigate interventions that support autistic well-being, as well as co-creating guidelines to promote health and quality of life for autistic people.
The objective is to create a new framework for what autistic well-being means based on autistic people鈥檚 own experiences and perspectives. The research is conducted in collaboration with both autistic people and professional support providers.
"Our hope is that the project will lead to more inclusive and effective support interventions that are based on the unique strengths and challenges of autistic individuals," says project leader Hanna Bertilsdotter-Rosqvist, senior lecturer in social work at 果冻传媒 and professor of social work at S枚dert枚rn University.
The project challenges traditional healthcare models and proposes a paradigm shift towards health-promoting strategies.
"People鈥檚 brains work differently, and this neurological diversity presents both strengths and challenges depending on life circumstances," says Hanna Bertilsdotter-Rosqvist. "Support interventions for autistic people often focus on challenges in social interaction and communication, but it is also common with mental and physical illness among autistic people. Traditional healthcare models are not always well-suited for autistic people, as the goal is not to 鈥渃ure autism鈥. It can result in a one-sided focus on symptoms rather than promoting quality of life and well-being."
The project 鈥淓tt gott autistiskt liv och samh盲lleliga st枚dinsatser鈥 has been granted SEK 6.6 million in funding by the Swedish Research Council and begins in January 2025, in collaboration with researchers at Karolinska Institutet.
