Neurodevelopmental Services win major funding for research project   You are here: Home » News Detail

Health Education England (HEE) has awarded our Neurodevelopmental Services team £51,000 to fund a research project on young people’s experiences of transitioning to adult services with a neurodevelopmental condition.

There is a gap in knowledge surrounding young adults’ experiences of transitioning and this research aims to address the problem.  

Thirty participants will take part which will be made up of young people diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning disabilities and autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) respectively. The participants will be young adults or adults who have just gone through transition – all aged between 18 and 25.

Transition is a notoriously difficult period in any young person’s life and can cause a multitude of problems which can lead to a long term impact. Vulnerable young people go from a very structured environment in schools and children’s services to adult services. Adult services are generally based on the person being relatively independent and able to make informed decisions.  However without the right support or someone overseeing their transition, these needs can be missed.  

Clinical Psychologists, Casey Bradford and Stephanie Ford said: “We feel incredibly lucky to be a part of a company that not only allows us to think and work outside the box but also encourages us to do so to help better meet the needs of our clients. We know how much work is going to be involved in this and we are relieved that we have a team around us that is so supportive and knowledgeable.

“We are excited to be able to do this research and will work hard to ensure the research is of a high standard, so that service users’ voices are heard. We hope the findings will lead to better tailored transitions for these vulnerable individuals.”

This will be a qualitative research project using semi-structured interviews, aimed at capturing the lived experiences of the participants. In the case of non-verbal participants, speech and language therapists will use tools to assist with communication. Their carers and family members may also be interviewed.

The aim of the research is to identify the needs of individuals to make recommendations for better, more effective practice. The recommendations could be used to inform future programmes and projects. It could also lead to the development of staff training on how to approach the care of individuals in a more appropriate way.

Results will be presented at conferences and shared with commissioners.

The research will conclude in December 2019.