ERIC Number: EJ1090001
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Mar
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1088-3576
EISSN: N/A
Postsecondary Expectations of High-School Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Anderson, Kristy A.; McDonald, T. A.; Edsall, Deirdre; Smith, Leann E.; Taylor, Julie Lounds
Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, v31 n1 p16-26 Mar 2016
This study examined the perceptions of adulthood among 31 high-school students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We had two research aims: (a) to report students' postsecondary expectations in terms of school, work, friendships, and living arrangement and (b) to describe how our sample defined adulthood. To better compare our sample's criteria of adulthood with the criteria traditionally endorsed in secondary schools, we used a directed content analysis approach. Data were derived from a semi-structured interview that questioned students about friendships, activities, and the transition to adulthood. The majority of students expected to attain traditional markers of adulthood after high school. For some the pathways to achieving these outcomes were narrowly defined and perceived as a linear process. Independence, maturity, and personal responsibility were the most highly endorsed characteristics of adulthood, followed by chronological age and traditional markers. Implications for transition planning and adult services are discussed.
Descriptors: High School Students, Autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Student Attitudes, Postsecondary Education, Academic Aspiration, Expectation, Adults, Content Analysis, Adolescent Development, Maturity (Individuals), Occupational Aspiration, Friendship, Qualitative Research, Grade 11, Grade 12, Intelligence Tests, Cognitive Ability, Diagnostic Tests, Observation, Student Development, Place of Residence, Individual Characteristics
SAGE Publications and Hammill Institute on Disabilities. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2814
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education; Postsecondary Education; Grade 11; Grade 12
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institute of Mental Health (DHHS/NIH); Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (NIH); National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) (DHHS/NIH)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Tennessee; Wisconsin
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule; Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale; Wechsler Intelligence Scales Short Forms
Grant or Contract Numbers: K01MH092598; P30HD03352; P30HD15052; UL1TR000445