Dissertation Defense: Amanda Weir

The College of Education has scheduled the final oral examination of Amanda Weir for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Special Education.  The examination is to be held on May 13, 2026. The title of the dissertation is Enhancing Social Participation in Autistic Adults Through Special Interest-Based Virtual Social Planning.  

Autistic adults frequently encounter barriers to community participation and engagement, yet few interventions are designed specifically for this population. The goal of the present study was to use social planning to promote engagement, social comfort and social competence by leveraging special interests. Three autistic adults participated virtually in weekly individualized, collaborative social planning sessions to identify upcoming in-person events related to participant’s special interests. The researcher provided preparatory guidance for events and brief social skills instruction using behavioral skills training (BST). Using single case design methodology, the researcher assessed effects of the intervention on attendance and engagement in a virtual neuroinclusive social hour (NSH) and in-person community events. Results indicated minimal increases in social engagement and no clear differentiation between special interest and general interest conditions. Further, limited changes were observed in social engagement during community events. Despite these findings, participants self-reported increased confidence, demonstrated increased social competence on a standardized measure, and increased mean duration of community participation. Further, potential evidence of generalization to unplanned and non-special interest-based events was observed. The current study provides support for the use of strength-based interventions in naturalistic settings to increase socialization of autistic adults.