Item
Outcomes of a Family-Centered Transition Process for Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders
Metadados
Título
Outcomes of a Family-Centered Transition Process for Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders
Descrição
© 2012 Hammill Institute on Disabilities
Reprints and permission:
Autor
David Hagner, PhD1, Alan Kurtz, MEd2, Heidi Cloutier, MSW1, Caroline Arakelian, MEd1, Debra L. Brucker, PhD1, and Janet May, MEd2
Língua
Ano que foi publicado
2012
País de Origem
Tipo de pesquisa
Metodologia
A three-component intervention was implemented with 47 youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) as they transitioned from high school to adult life. The youth, ages 16 to 19 years, were randomly assigned to a Year 1 group or a Year 2 group. Participants in the Year 1 group received a transition planning intervention consisting of (a) group training sessions for families in the transition process, (b) person-centered planning meetings facilitated by project staff, and (c) follow-up assistance with career exploration and plan implementation. Data were collected pre- and post implementation to measure student and family expectations, self-determination, and career decision-making ability. The Year 2 group began receiving services following the second data collection point.
Amostra
Of the participants, 37 had been diagnosed previously as hav ing autism, 8 with Asperger Disorder, and 2 with Pervasive Developmental Disorder–Not Otherwise Specified; hereafter all will be referred to as having ASD. Following enrollment, stu dents were randomly assigned to participate in Year 1 (n = 24 families) or in Year 2 (n = 23 families). This delayed-exposure design allowed the Year 2 group to serve as a control group in Year 1, while assuring that all enrolled students and families received the full intervention. Post hoc tests showed that students in the two groups were equivalent in age, M1 = 17.7 years, M2 = 17.4 years, t(47) = .939, p = .353; race (all White); and gender (1 female in each group, Mann–Whitney U p = .977). The Adaptive Behavior Assessment Scale–II (ABAS-II; Harrison & Oakland, 2008) was used to assess level of adaptive behavior across groups at enrollment. The ABAS provides a composite mean-scaled score based on an assessment of adaptive skill domains in relation to a standardized sample with a mean of 10 and a standard deviation of 3. Differences in ABAS-II scores across the two groups were not statistically signifi cant, M1 = 6.42, M2 = 6.75, t(47) = .496, p = .63, indicating that both groups had similar levels of functional impairment at enrollment. The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS; Lord, Rutter, DiLavore, & Risi, 1999), was admin istered by a trained assessor to confirm presence of ASD. In all, 27 of the participants met the cutoff for ASD, and 20 met the cutoff for autism.
Método de Pesquisa
Group training sessions for families. Person-centered planning. Follow-up assistance. survey data were collected at enrollment and 12 months later, prior to the initiation of services for the Year 2 group. Standardized surveys were used to measure the impact of the project on (a) student and parent expectations for the future, (b) self-determination, and (c) vocational decision making ability.
Principais Descobertas
Participants in the Year 1 group reported statistically significant increases in all four measured variables, whereas the Year 2 group showed no significant changes
Comentário Avaliativo
Several limitations should be noted in interpreting the findings from this study. First, the survey data were self reports, and some participants received a level of assistance to complete the surveys (e.g., paraphrasing question items) that may have affected their answers. In addition, a few par ticipants were unable to complete the surveys, and these were those students with the most significant language limi tations, so this may limit the generalizability of findings to this group. Second, the study sample was relatively small and lacked diversity. While the findings suggest the efficacy of the approach, further study with a larger and more diverse population is needed. Future researchers also should follow transitioning students for a longer time period and obtain data on in vivo postschool outcomes such as employment and postsecondary education.