In order to learn more about the experiences of older autistic adults who live in residential care, we co-created an interview schedule called the Autism Satisfaction with Care Holistic Interview (ASCHI). We worked with autistic people, their families and allies, researchers, service providers and clinicians to co-create this interview. This involved finding out about what their priorities were in relation to residential care for older adults, then finding out which questions mattered to them most, and which questions were most accessible to be used in an interview with autistic adults. The ASCHI can be used in future research to find out more about what residential care is like for older autistic adults, and which areas of services are not meeting their needs. This can, in turn, be used to inform policy and practice in residential care services, improving the quality of life of older autistic adults.
This paper is currently under peer-review, and we will update with a link when it is published. For now, you can read the pre-print here.