Experiences of Parents of Specialist Peer Mentored Autistic University Students.

ABSTRCT: Parents continue to support to autistic university students, and consequently, experience considerable stress.: To explore the experiences of parents of specialist peer mentored university students and to examine these using the ICF as a theoretical framework.: Thirteen semi-structured interviews were completed and analyzed using thematic analysis. Directive content analysis linked the data to the ICF core set for autism spectrum disorders (ASD).: Five interrelated themes emerged: , and . Specialist peer mentoring was linked to Activity and Participation (44%) and Environmental factors (32%) of the ICF core set for ASD.: These results add to the specialist peer mentoring evidence-base, and indicate perceived benefits for autistic university students and their parents. An unintended consequence was that parents broadened their participation in activities.