Picturing home: self-directed photography as a lens to explore the home environment in the care of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

This paper presents an overview of the method and preliminary research findings from a pilot study investigating the relationship between the home environment and the daily experience of caring for a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Specifically the research focuses on adaptations that are made to the home environment to support the physical and psychological needs of the child and how these impact on the wellbeing of families and their carers. The need for housing modifications to support ASD sufferers is gaining recognition within Government and there is increasing acknowledgement of the strain that caring for a child with ASD at home places on the family unit. However, there remains limited research investigating how structural and functional modifications to the home environment impact on family life. Emphasising the diversity of experiences and situations, this pilot study employs the in-depth visual-based method of self-directed photography where data are gathered through photographs taken by participants in combination with unstructured interviews. Following an overview of the method, the paper provides some preliminary insights from the study focusing on the theme of space along the dimensions of physical space, spatial organisation and senses of space, concluding with a discussion of some of the challenges and opportunities of this research method.