Publication Date

Spring 2022

Advisor(s) - Committee Chair

Carl Myers (Director), Sarah Ochs, Regina Guthrie

Degree Program

Department of Psychology

Degree Type

Specialist in Education

Abstract

Despite evidence demonstrating that mentoring may be an effective intervention for neurotypical students, there is limited literature investigating the impact of mentoring on outcomes for those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Using a comprehensive review of the available literature, the present specialist project provides a summary of available mentoring literature which implemented mentoring programs with students on the autism spectrum. After eliminating irrelevant literature from an initial search, a small sample of relevant articles were reviewed (N = 8). These studies demonstrated that ASD mentoring programs are often limited in scope to higher functioning young adults. Additionally, the reviewed articles most frequently implemented peer mentoring models. The available literature reported limited quantitative data, but the quantitative data reported indicated promising outcomes for mentees with ASD. These findings indicate that further research is needed to determine the efficacy and effectiveness of mentoring programs for mentees with ASD. Additional research is also needed to establish a framework for future mentoring programs to optimize mentee outcomes across ages, genders, levels of functioning, race/ethnicities, and more.

Disciplines

Educational Psychology | Other Education | School Psychology

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