Does “mentoring” offer effective support to autistic adults? A mixed-methods pilot study

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Martin, N., Milton, D., Sims, T., Dawkins, G., Baron-Cohen, S., & Mills, R. (2017). Does “mentoring” offer effective support to autistic adults? A mixed-methods pilot study. Advances in Autism, 3(4), 229-239. https://doi.org/10.1108/aia-06-2017-0013

Publication date: 2 Oct 2017 Added to AutiHub: 6 Jul 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
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Authors

Publication authors
6
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 6 (16.7%)
  1. Nicola Martin
  2. Damian Milton *
  3. Tara Sims
  1. Gemma Dawkins
  2. Simon Baron-Cohen
  3. Richard Mills

Abstract

Purpose The Research Autism Cygnet Mentoring project was a two-year pilot study, completed in 2016, which aimed to develop, trial and evaluate a mentoring scheme designed with input from autistic people, their families and supporters. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach The mentoring scheme involved 12 matched pairs (mentor/mentee) meeting once per week for one hour, over a six-month period. All mentors attended a training day, led by the principles of personal construct theory and an emancipatory research ethos. The project and training involved significant involvement of autistic people in both its design and delivery. Findings Participants on the autism spectrum found their mentoring experience very helpful in enabling them to progress towards self-identified goals, and mentees felt empowered by the person-centred ethos and the methods employed on the project. However, a number of aspects of the mentoring project have been identified that require further investigation, including: caution over offering mentoring without formal structures, boundary setting, supervision, flexibility and the matching of mentees with mentors. Originality/value The project has highlighted the potential benefits of time-limited goal-orientated mentoring and the negligible evidence base underpinning current mentoring practice with adults on the autism spectrum. In order for the project to realise its emancipatory aim, there is a need for a large-scale quantitative study and a health-economics analysis to provide the necessary evidence base for mentoring to be recommended as a cost-effective intervention with clear benefits for individual wellbeing.

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These indicators describe the cited bibliography imported for this publication. Cited-reference metrics use the cited-reference total as denominator. Cited-author metrics state whether they use all cited-author occurrences or only occurrences linked to authors already integrated in the AutiHub database. They use cached links between cited authors and authors integrated in the AutiHub database. Last computed: 16 Aug 2026 11:31.

Cited references
30
Total cited references integrated for this publication.
Cited references with an identified autistic author
6 / 30 (20.0%)
Cited author occurrences identified as autistic
6 / 60 (10.0%)
Among occurrences linked to AutiHub author records: 6 / 29 (20.7%). Distinct cited authors identified as autistic: 2 / 51 (3.9%).
Cited author occurrences linked to AutiHub author records
29 / 60 (48.3%)
Distinct linked cited authors: 20 / 51 (39.2%)
Linked cited-author occurrences not identified as autistic
23 / 29 (79.3%)
Among linked cited-author occurrences only. Across all cited-author occurrences: 23 / 60 (38.3%). Distinct linked cited authors not identified as autistic: 18 / 20 (90.0%).
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