Abstract

The transition to adulthood is a challenging time of major decision-making about education, employment, finances, living situation, and social relationships. Transition planning is vital for youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), who are more likely than those without special education needs to encounter challenges with social integration, finances, employment, and everyday activities as they leave the secondary school context. This article presents a case study of a publicly funded Canadian resource program for high school students with ASD, focusing on student perspectives alongside those of program educators. Findings reveal that students benefit from the program, but say parents remain their primary transition planning confidants despite the program’s transition planning focus. Students and educators state that program support is beneficial, but acknowledge that it cannot continue to the same extent after graduation, making regression and social isolation possible long-term outcomes for students. Implications for program design and future research are considered.

摘要

向成年过渡是一个充满挑战的时期，需要做出有关教育、就业、财务、生活状况和社会关系的重大决策。过渡规划对于患有自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 的青少年来说至关重要，他们比没有接受过特殊教育的青少年更有可能在离开中学时遇到社会融合、财务、就业和日常活动方面的挑战。本文介绍了一个针对患有 ASD 的高中生的公共资助的加拿大资源计划的案例研究，重点关注学生和计划教育者的观点。调查结果显示，学生从该计划中受益，但表示尽管该计划侧重于过渡计划，但父母仍然是他们的主要过渡计划知己。学生和教育工作者表示，项目支持是有益的，但承认在毕业后无法继续提供相同程度的支持，从而使学生的退化和社会孤立成为可能的长期结果。考虑了对程序设计和未来研究的影响。