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Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC)
Autism Research Database
Project Element Element Description

Project Title

Project Title

Adults with ASD After High School: Pitfalls and Possibilities

Principal Investigator

Principal Investigator

Anderson, Connie

Description

Description

There is a critical need for information explaining why many young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are disconnected from services and educational or employment opportunities in the years post high school. This qualitative, interview-based study focuses on the experiences of young adults and their parents after high school ends. It intentionally includes families of youth across the autism spectrum, both those who were certificate-bound, exiting high school around age 21, and those who were diploma-bound, exiting around age 18. It also includes families whose young adult is anywhere from one to fifteen years past high school, highlighting the different realities faced as time passes. The study builds upon an existing project funded by Towson University and the A. J. Drexel Autism Institute. It will increase the number of parent interviews from 20 to 35 and the number of young adult interviews from 3 to 13, making it possible to include a more diverse group of families in terms of socio-demographics, presentation of ASD, and time elapsed since high school. One aim is to identify individual, family, and community characteristics associated with young adult disengagement from or participation in services, post-secondary education, and the world of work. Another is to create a conceptual model of disengagement. If young adults with ASD are falling off a cliff, this study is meant to generate hypotheses regarding which individuals are falling off which cliffs.

Funder

Funder

Organization for Autism Research

Funding Country

Funding Country

United States

Fiscal Year Funding

Fiscal Year Funding

25000

Current Award Period

Current Award Period

2016-2017

Strategic Plan Question

Strategic Plan Question

Question 6: How Can We Meet the Needs of People with ASD as They Progress into and through Adulthood?

Funder’s Project Link

Funder’s Project Link

External Project Page Go to website disclaimer

Institution

Institution

Towson University

Institute Location

Institute Location

United States

Project Number

Project Number

Government or Private

Government or Private

Private

History/Related Projects

History/Related Projects

Adults with ASD After High School: Pitfalls and Possibilities | 0 | 2017 |

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