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Preparing Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder for Adulthood A Transition Toolkit for Educators
Introduction
Table of Contents
Unit 1: Transition Planning and Services
Unit 2: Supports
Unit 3: Expanded Core Curriculum
Unit 3.1: Communication
Unit 3.2: Social Skills
Unit 3.3: Executive Function and Organization
Unit 3.4: Sensory Self-Regulation
Unit 3.5: Self-Determination
Unit 3.6: Employment
Unit 3.7: Postsecondary Education
Unit 3.8: Independent Living Skills
ReferencesINTRODUCTION TO THE TOOLKIT
What is this toolkit?
This toolkit is designed to provide educators and other members of the transition team with practical information and easy access to resources to prepare youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) for a successful transition from school to adulthood. It provides practical information on how to utilize existing best practices to meet the needs of this group as a whole, while addressing the individual needs of each student with ASD. Useful, free online tools for assessment, planning, and instruction are provided for critical skill areas for youth and young adults with ASD.
Please note this toolkit is not designed to answer every question about ASD and secondary transition. For instance, it does not include scope and sequence for instruction. Instead, it provides a variety of practical information and tools for the education and secondary transition of youth with ASD.
Who benefits from the toolkit?
Educators. This toolkit is primarily intended to enhance what you, as educators, are already doing. Teachers, transition specialists, speech-language pathologists, school psychologists, occupational therapists, other specialists, and other educators involved in secondary schools and transition programs will find helpful tools and information for effective planning and programming for students with ASD. The toolkit will save you time looking for resources and finding out about current best practices. In addition, it will help you meet the legal requirements for transition planning and services.
Youth and Young Adults with ASD. The tools will help prepare youth with ASD for a satisfying, chosen adult life.
Parents. Parents will have access to the same information and tools as other members of the Transition IEP team.
Adult Service Providers. Adult service providers will have access to information and tools that will help inform their collaborative efforts with school districts.
School districts. This toolkit fills a gap in the ongoing training of educational staff in secondary transition for youth with ASD.
Why is the toolkit needed?
Despite federal mandates for school-based transition services and adult services, recent research reveals poor adult outcomes for young adults with ASD (Barnhill, 2007; Billstedt, Gillberg & Gillberg, 2005; Cameto, Levine, & Wagner, 2004; Cederlund, Hgberg Billstedt, Gillberg, & Gillberg, 2008; Howlin, Goode, Hutton, & Rutter, 2004; Jennes-Coussens, Magill-Evans & Koning, 2006; Schall, Cortijo-Doval, Targett, & Wehman, 2006)). Without effective preparation for adulthood, young people with ASD, including those with average or above IQ, fail more than others with disabilities (Cameto et al., 2004). Therefore, the Transition IEP team must carefully plan the transition for youth with ASD.
ASD is a complex and pervasive developmental disability. The transition needs of students with ASD related to employment, postsecondary education independent living, and community participation are exacerbated by the underlying characteristics of ASD. Effective transition requires that students with ASD have instruction and support that addresses the inherent communication, social, sensory and executive function/organization challenges of ASD (Barnhill, 2007; Schall & Wehman, 2009; Seltzer, Shattuck, Abbeduto, & Greenberg, 2004; Simpson, 2005; Wolfe, 2005).
Both educators and adult service providers are often not provided with information on the “how to’s” of transition planning and services for youth and young adults with ASD. In a 2010 survey of Secondary Transition For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder In Clackamas, Hood River, Multnomah, And Wasco Counties, Oregon, parents, special education staff and adult service providers ranked the most important topics for staff training and/or resources for staff to facilitate successful transition outcomes for individuals with ASD. The three topics for staff training and resources that were rated the highest were:
- How to prepare students with ASD for adulthood
- How to provide effective transition services
- How to provide instruction in non-academic areas
This toolkit attempts to provide the desired information and resources on these topics, so that young adults with ASD will have improved outcomes and a more satisfying adult life.
What areas are addressed in the toolkit?
This toolkit is divided into three main units.
Unit 1: Transition Planning and Services for Youth with ASD
Unit 2: Supports for Transition Services and Activities
Unit 3: The Expanded Core Curriculum for Youth with ASD- 3.1: Communication Skills
- 3.2: Social Skills
- 3.3: Executive Function/Organization Skills
- 3.4: Sensory Self-regulation
- 3.5: Self-Determination
- 3.6: Employment
- 3.7: Postsecondary Education
- 3.8: Independent Living and Community Participation
What information is covered in each unit?
Each of the units provides extensive practical information in the form of Q & A. It provides useful tools for planning and instruction through links to open access web-based resources, information on important books on loan, and copies of other resources. Each unit includes appendices, which include some or all of the following:
- Descriptions of and links to websites with free guidebooks or comprehensive information on the topic of the unit
- Sample list of what should be done at different grade levels
- Assessment tools and/or descriptions of and links to websites with free downloadable assessment tools,
- Lesson plans and/or descriptions of and links to websites with free curriculum, lesson plans and/or other practical “how to” tools
- Descriptions of and links to websites with “how to” videos
- List of practical books available on loan
- List of online and/or local training
- Glossary of terms
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