Staff's Collaborative Work Process with an Adolescent Boy with Autism and Intellectual Disability in Community-based Sheltered Housing

Abstract

The aim of this single-case study was to describe the staff's collaborative work process for a period of three-and-a-half years caring for an adolescent boy with autism and intellectual disabilities living in an apartment of his own together with his caregivers. The longitudinal data included the staff's (two men and two women) common open diary, repeated individual interviews and focus group interviews. Detailed content analysis of the diary and the interviews indicated that the staff's perceptions of their pedagogical work, teamwork and work conditions changed from a positive to a largely negative view, appearing to affect the pedagogical strategies adopted. Also, it became visible that the unique work situation, involving a lack of actual goals, feedback and pedagogical supervision may have negatively affected the collaborative work process and the staff's effort to establish structure and consensus in the pedagogical work.