‘I am Lil’: Enabling Autistic Voices in Transitions from School to Adult Life through the Co-Creation of a Digital Story

Abstract

Autistic children’s voices are frequently overlooked, underestimated, and undermined in research and practice such that children are denied agency and their rights as capable knowers. Our digital storytelling work aims to challenge this status quo by co-creating ‘I am’ Digital Stories with and for autistic children and their families. ‘I am’ Digital Stories are short videos (c.3–5 minutes) that provide a strengths-based representation of a child or young person, incorporating their strengths, capabilities, likes, communication and interaction preferences, and how support can be provided. ‘I am’ Digital Stories enable children and young people to present their ‘best selves’ to people who may not know them, especially in transitions between education and other settings. This is Lil’s ‘I am’ Digital Story. Lil was making the move from special school to her adult life which included the possibility of volunteering at a community-based organisation. We worked with Lil to create an ‘I am’ Digital Story that she could share with the organisation. Lil worked closely with her father and the research team to plan, film, and create her Digital Story, which she described as a ‘cool project’. We think that anyone watching the video will get a strong sense of who Lil is, what she likes to do, her skills and interests, and happy personality. Lil is very proud of her Story and we are proud to be able to share her Story here.