Transition

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First Person: Thoughts and Observations About Transition From An Adult on the Spectrum

The summer edition of OCALI's newsletter The Sphere, includes an article written by an adult on the autism spectrum that offers insights and information related to transition to adulthood. This edition of The Sphere can be found here. For more information and insights from this author, download the entire article here.

Since the incidence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has grown to an overwhelming 1 in 91, early intervention and school-age programming have become a priority for families and professionals living and working with this population. These children and youth are now in adolescence and approaching adulthood and new challenges await.

Employment outcomes for adults with autism are not encouraging:

• As few as 6% of individuals with ASD have fulltime employment
• 12% of individuals with high functioning autism or Asperger Syndrome are employed despite having average or high than average IQs (Barnard et. al, 2001).
  

A University of Wisconsin-Madison 2002 study of 405 adolescents and adults with ASD found that:

• 10% were in competitive employment
• 33% are in supported employment.
• Those in supported employment worked an average of 15 hours per week
• Those in competitive employment spent roughly 27 hours per week at their jobs
• Those in sheltered workshops worked an average of 24 hours per week
• These individuals had few social interactions, and a large portion of their interactions were limited to family events
  

The lack of social skills and social understanding has been cited as a primary cause of unemployment or under-employment for many otherwise skilled individuals on the autism spectrum.

Concern about these trends has lead OCALI to focus on transition planning for individuals with ASD as they move from the school environment to work and life after school. The goal of OCALI's transition work is to develop resources that will provide information, technical assistance, and training to improve the post-secondary outcomes for individuals with ASD.

Among the resources in developed are:

• Transition Guidelines for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Transition Funding Resource Guide
• Multiple webcasts on relevant topics
  

These resources address the following:

• Development and implementation of effective transition plans during the school years
• Preparing for post-secondary education
• Preparing for community employment
• Understanding how to access resources for ongoing support
  

In the coming months, these resources, as well as others, will be available here. Information will be expanded and updated in order to provide continued guidance as individuals with ASD, their families, friends, and others are creating the "map" and walking the "path" to adulthood.

If you have questions related to transition or the resources developed, please contact Chris Filler, OCALI Transition Coordinator at chris_filler@ocali.org or 614-410-0993.

Barnard, J., Harvey, V., Potter, D., & Prior, A. (2001). Ignored or ineligible?: The reality for adults with autism spectrum disorders. London: The National Autistic Society

Transition to Adulthood Conference

OCALI sponsored a Transition to Adulthood Conference in June 2008. Presenters included representatives from Ohio Department of Education, National Secondary Transition and Technical Assistance Centers, Kent State University, OCALI and others. Due to the overwhelming demand, this conference will be repeated several times in the fall of 2008. This Power Point presentation provides an overview of the information presented on day two of the conference. Please allow sufficient time for download as it is a large file.

[ Download PPT ]

Results of Transition to Adulthood Focus Groups

OCALI's Transition Project conducted 16 focus groups across the state in conjunction with each State Support Team. The purpose of the focus groups were to gather narrative and qualitative information to complement data gathered by the transition to adulthood survey. Focus group participants were selected based on their involvement with transition age youth or autism. The results of the focus groups are summarized in a Power Point presentation available at this link:

[ Download PPT ]