Researchers in the University of Calgary Department of Psychology are currently seeking voluntary participants for a research project aimed at exploring the experiences of late-diagnosed autistic people in job interviews. Participation in this study will include a short survey, as well as an interview with an autistic researcher.
Who is eligible to participate?
Eligible participants will meet all following criteria:
- Have either a formal- or self-diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
- The autism diagnosis/discovery occurred in adulthood (18 years of age or older)
- Have participated in at least one traditional job interview (one-on-one and in-person)
- In the last 6 months, and
- Since their autism diagnosis/discovery
What will it look like?
The researcher will schedule a time to interview you either in-person or over Zoom depending on your preferences and comfort. You will also be asked to complete a short survey relating to your demographics, autism diagnosis, and interview history.
The interviews will all be conducted one-on-one with an autistic researcher. Interview questions will be open-ended and cover topics regarding your personal experiences and use of masking (that is, the behaviours used to hide autistic traits) during job interviews. Interviews will last about one hour and be audio recorded.
All recorded interview responses will be used solely for research purposes and any personally identifying information will remain confidential. Participation in this study is completely voluntary and if at any point you feel uncomfortable proceeding, you may withdraw from the study.
To create a safe and comfortable environment for you to share your personal experience, the study has been designed by an autistic researcher and care has been taken to create an inclusive and accommodating research process for autistic participants. Researchers will provide individualized accommodations based on the unique needs of each participant. There is some compensation for participants who complete the requirements of the study.
Are you interested in participating?
If you are interested in participating in this research project, please contact kaitlyn.guenther@ucalgary.ca
Questions/Concerns
The University of Calgary Conjoint Faculties Research Ethics Board has approved this research study (REB22-1575). If you have any further questions or want clarification regarding this research and/or your participation, please contact:
Kaitlyn Guenther, Research Student, Department of Psychology.
Email: kaitlyn.guenther@ucalgary.ca
Josh Bourdage, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Psychology.
Email: jbordage@ucalgary.ca
Adam McCrimmon, PhD., Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Psychology
Email: awmccrim@ucalgary.ca
