Young people with high‐functioning autism and Asperger's syndrome planning for and anticipating the move to college: what supports a positive transition?

Abstract

This is the accepted version of the following article: Mitchell, W. and Beresford, B. some of the problems these young people can encounter. This paper adds to the evidence base describing how to best support these young people, focusing specifically on 'young person endorsed' practice. Data is gleaned from qualitative interviews with 18 young people with HFA/AS. Findings reveal that young people welcomed the involvement of practitioners; however, specific forms of help and knowledge were particularly valued. In addition, it was parents, as opposed to professionals, who typically emerged as the most significant and valued source of support. Implications for practice are discussed, including the support needs of parents.

Parental perspectives on the transition to secondary school for students with Asperger syndrome and high‐functioning autism: a pilot survey study

“…Support was subsequently only received following parental persistence after her son began experiencing extreme anxiety in Year 7. This high level of parental involvement reflects the literature and has been associated with a lack of support from services and educational staff not receiving sufficient training on ASD and the subsequent effects on behaviour and learning needs (Mitchell & Beresford, 2014;Lindsay et al, 2014).…”

Experiences of educational transition: young women with ASD, and the staff supporting them, speak

“…A lack of specialist support and staff training in the area of HFA at the receiving institutions was noted, with the result that some of the broader difficulties may go unrecognised and/or the student's needs unmet. A further problem that was revealed was that the important role of co‐ordinating transition planning (Mitchell and Berrisford, ) was not always assigned to a designated member of staff and commonly fell, by default, to the parents. The findings point to the need for transition to be managed strategically over an extended time period and in a way that incorporates the views of all key stakeholders.…”

A qualitative study of specialist schools’ processes of eliciting the views of young people with autism spectrum disorders in planning their transition to adulthood

“…Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a life‐long neurodevelopmental condition characterised by varying degrees of difficulties in social communication and repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests or activities (APA, ). These characteristics often translate to difficulties in socialising, organisation, planning, adjusting to new environments and demands (Mitchell & Beresford, ). Baron‐Cohen et al () estimated that 1 in 100 individuals in the UK are diagnosed with ASD.…”