Health Sciences: Fully Funded Health Care Research Wales PhD Scholarship: Co-producing and improving care for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Fully Funded Health Care Research Wales PhD Scholarship: Co-producing and improving care for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A cross-disciplinary mixed-method study

Subject areas: Health Sciences, Public Health, Education, Psychology, Improvement science and quality improvement, Epidemiology, Sociology, Public health, Qualitative Research Methods, Mixed methods

Background:

Applications are invited from a highly motivated, enthusiastic graduate with an interest in early childhood interventions to join a well-supported, friendly research team. Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are complex life-long conditions, yet delays in diagnosis are commonplace and specific evidence-based interventions are lacking. This causes significant hardship to individuals and families, and leads to substantial service costs across several systems. Care for individuals with ASD is complex, involving a range of different individuals and agencies including healthcare, education services as well as the individuals themselves and their families. Identifying and facilitating improved care pathways is therefore essential, but few studies using health improvement methods and involving co-production by researchers and key stakeholders have been conducted. To address this gap, the student will need to conduct reviews of relevant literature and liaise with a broad group of individuals including children with ASD, their families, school teachers, health professionals, educational and clinical psychologists, and other allied groups.

This mixed-methods study will utilise both qualitative and quantitative techniques and will involve scoping current services and identifying current good practice before working together with key stakeholders to design an intervention to improve communication. By doing so, this PhD research is expected to provide information to inform policy and practice, to improve cross-agency care for children with ASD.

Supervision of the project will be led by Professor Sharon Williams from Swansea University (College of Human and Health Sciences), with co-supervision by Drs Lisa Hurt and Kate Langley at Cardiff University (Schools of Medicine and Psychology). The student will also receive advice and support from other members of the Autism Collaborative Research group, (ACRe), including individuals based at Cardiff Metropolitan University (Humanities Department), and University of Wales Trinity St David (Faculty of Education and Communities).

Project Description:

The aim of this PhD study is to co-produce an intervention with key stakeholders to improve the communication between families, school staff and health professionals, and therefore improve the delivery of an integrated care pathway for children of primary school age with ASD.

Deadline for applications is 5pm, 13 August 2018 and interviews will take place on 21 August 2018.

Eligibility
Candidates must hold a 2.1 or above in their undergraduate degree and/or a master’s degree in Health Sciences, Public Health, Psychology, Epidemiology, Education, Quality improvement/Improvement science, Sociology or other health related discipline.

Previous research experience is desirable.

We would normally expect the academic and English Language requirements to be met by point of application. For details on the University’s English Language entry requirements, please visit – http://www.swansea.ac.uk/admissions/englishlanguagerequirements/

Due to funding restrictions, this scholarship is open to UK/EU candidates only.