Exploring Character Strengths: A New Approach to Empowering Autistic Young People

In this episode, I open the doors to my messy, end of a very busy week looking like living room! :) The final result differs from what I had initially imagined, however it ended up being a very natural and authentic video filmed by my good friend Humberto Mayorga*, who supports local SMEs with content production. Try and error is one of my mottos, lessons learned.

I had the immense pleasure of interviewing Dr. Jiedi Lei, Clinical Psychologist and Principal Investigator at the University of Oxford and Emma Jewitt, also Psychologist and Research Assistant supporting Jiedi's with fellowship. We talked about the study Autism Character Strengths, that have been conducting in the past few months and in which I took part as parent of an autistic girl (you can listen about my experience on the study as a participant) on my solo episode in season 1 Autism Character Strengths.

Our conversation delved into their innovative approach, focusing on identifying and leveraging the unique strengths of autistic young people to support them in their daily lives. We discussed how the strengths-based framework can empower parents, clinicians, and teachers to create more positive and supportive environments. Jiedi and Emma shared their insights on how this approach could transform the future for autistic individuals and their families, shifting the narrative from challenges to possibilities.

I also learned the motivations behind their interest in focusing their research on supporting autistic young people. They shared their lived experience and what has led them to this stage of their career.

Find out more, by watching the episode!

*You can see more of Humberto's work here:

https://www.instagram.com/humberto_mayorga/