Interrogating ‘acquiescent’ behavior of adults with developmental disabilities in interactions with caregiving family members: an instrumental case study

Who Do We Think We Are? Disrupting Notions of Quality in Qualitative Research

“…Instead, we recommend (g) researchers use the input from “others,” in whatever shapes and forms this input might take, as holding important insights for understanding the key participant in context. Indeed, past research on ADevD and their caregiving families, in which researcher did not overtly manage space or discourse, provides the rich accounts of the family and relational dynamics important to us to better understand how ADevD are heard and understood (Hutcheon et al, 2017; Lashewicz et al, 2014). Accordingly, we are satisfied that we made our own multichannel efforts to obtain assent from Jeff while in no way discrediting Jeff’s mother’s assertion that Jeff would not be able to understand our research purpose.…”

“…Because ADevD may be relatively less articulate than typically developed adults, their perspectives may be expressed and enacted through interactions that include their support-providing family members (e.g., Lashewicz, Mitchell, Salami, & Cheuk, 2014; Lloyd, Gatherer, & Kalsy, 2006). Indeed, researchers, human service agencies, and practitioners (e.g., social workers, psychologists) often rely on family members to facilitate and represent the needs, lifestyle planning, and decisions of ADevD (e.g., Hutcheon, Noshin, & Lashewicz, 2017; Lashewicz et al, 2014). Yet we know little about the processes by which decision making is shared between ADevD and their family members and how ADevD exercise autonomy over their needs, preferences, and decisions.…”