A Phenomenological Qualitative Study of Adverse Childhood Experiences Among Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Rural West Virginia

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe young adults’ experiences with high-functioning ASD and ACE in underserved regions of West Virginia. As ACEs are more prevalent in low-income and underserved communities, it can be essential to focus attention on the autism population and their recollection of the events that occurred, as well as the challenges they have experienced receiving treatment to adequately address their needs in West Virginia. The theory guiding this study was the theory of mind, coined by Premack and Woodruff; This theory focuses on the deficits in a person's mental state (Beaudoin et al., 2020), which can help guide research to gain deeper insights into the real-life experiences of individuals with ASD and how these experiences shape their interactions. This study’s design is a qualitative research study. To effectively implement and gather research for this study, the design included personal open-ended and semi-structured interviews. The researcher also made observations based on the identified framework. The researcher is confident that this qualitative study provided a deeper understanding of the real-life experiences of individuals with ASD in rural West Virginia. Additionally, it aimed to delve into the personal life experiences of ACEs within this population and pinpoint the essential resources needed to adequately support their requirements.