Examining the Efficacy of the TEACCH School Transition to Employment and Post-Secondary Education Program
Abstract
The number of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), particularly those without intellectual disability (i.e., high-functioning ASD), has increased dramatically. However, few individuals with ASD, as they transition into adulthood, successfully complete post-secondary education degrees or are employed. The majority of adults with ASD, even those with high-functioning ASD, are unemployed or underemployed and experience co-occurring mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression. Despite these poor outcomes, there are no large-scale programs aimed at improving the success of this transition to adulthood for high-functioning adolescents and young adults with ASD. With the support of feedback from key community partners, including young adults with ASD and their parents, we have developed the TEACCH School Transition to Employment and Postsecondary Education (T-STEP) Program to support common challenges experienced by adolescents and young adults with ASD as they transition to from high school into adult life. This application proposes a Fiscal Year 2018 Autism Research Program Clinical Trail of the T-STEP Program to address two Department of Defense priority areas targeting the critical needs of individuals within the ASD community: (1) a behavioral/cognitive intervention that (2) promotes success in transition to adulthood. Specifically, we propose to assign 60 young adults (18-21 years of age) with ASD to receive the T-STEP Program and 60 young adults to receive counseling services that are more typically provided by vocational employment and disability services counselors (i.e., career counseling, academic counseling, and self-advocacy counseling). This study will allow us to see whether the T-STEP works as designed to improve problems with planning and organization, adult social skills, and coping skills that are often barriers to success in employment and post-secondary education for adults with ASD. We are interested in learning whether the T-STEP is more effective than typical counseling services at improving these skills. We are also interested in learning more about which young adults with ASD benefit the most from the T-STEP Program and/or counseling services. All services will be provided across two community college campuses so that young adults can receive supports in their home community. Effectiveness will be assessed by caregiver report (social communication, executive function, employment readiness); self-report (self-determination, coping, depression); and behavioral observation (i.e., a mock employment experience). Assessments will take place at three time points: pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 6-month follow-up. The long-term impact of this intervention is to promote a more positive quality of life for young adults with high functioning ASD, including increased post-secondary education completion, employment, self-determination, and decreased difficulties with coping and depression. It has been estimated that it costs over $20,000 per year to support an adult with high-functioning ASD in areas such as employment and housing. As the number of young adults with ASD rises, the total costs to care for them will rise dramatically. The T-STEP intervention may lead to significant savings by helping young adults with ASD be more successful in post-secondary education and employment, thereby decreasing their need for other adult services. The T-STEP was designed to fit within federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act guidelines to support transition services (e.g., employment readiness training, work-based learning, counseling services) to facilitate dissemination of program activities from university to community settings.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Nov 19, 2019
- Source ID
- W81XWH1910826
Entities
People
- Brianne Tomaszewski
Organizations
- United States Army
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill