Analysing atypical interaction: Reflections on the intersection between quantitative and qualitative research

Abstract

Overwhelmingly, autism research is carried out within a medical deficit model, with emphasis on quantifiable results that can be applied to cohorts of affected people. This paper addresses some of the methodological issues surrounding quantification research. Using the coding and categorisation instructions from an earlier quantification study as an example (Jones & Schwartz, 2009), it shows some of the practical difficulties inherent in coding naturally occurring data. It explores these coding and categorisation choices when analysing data collected from children diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome through the qualitative research methodology of conversation analysis. It discusses why it is important for qualitative researchers to respond to, and intersect with, quantitative analyses of atypical interaction.