Abstract
This quantitative research explored the impact of an occupation-based transition to college program for young adults with autism (n = 13). It consisted of seven 45-minute sessions held once per week. Eight out of 13 participants demonstrated improved confidence as a future college student. Participants showed similarities in making the decision to apply to and attend college. Practitioners are encouraged to research the impact of programming to support individuals during the transition process.
Primary Author and Speaker: Colleen Schreier
Additional Authors and Speakers: Manveen Singh, Jennifer Gardner, Mariann Moran
Contributing Authors: Juana Guglielmino, John Rosalie, Joseph Vitullo
The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of an occupation-based Transition to College program facilitated in Spring 2017 and Spring 2018 by Kean University’s Occupational Therapy Community Cares Clinic (KUOT-CCC). Existing literature demonstrates a need for transition to college programs to occur while students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD or autism) are still in high school, in order to prepare them for the responsibilities of a college student (Hatfield, Falkmer, Falkmer, & Ciccarelli, 2017; Hewitt, 2011; Schindler, Cajiga, Aaronson, & Salas, 2015; White et al., 2017). Although there are a number of existing transition programs, few take place in the natural college environment for high school students with autism. The objective of KUOT-CCC’s Transition to College program was to increase the perceived role competence as a future college student for adolescents and young adults with autism.
Inclusionary criteria for the program included being a current student diagnosed with autism, an expressed interest in learning about college life, and parental consent to participate. A total of 15 participants participated in programming, with a mean age of 18.583 years (SD= 3.029). The program consisted of 45-minute sessions held once per week for seven weeks. Of the 15 participants, 13 completed a “My Confidence as a Future College Student” survey before and after programming. Furthermore, follow-up data was collected by clinic staff to provide an understanding of participants’ confidence as a potential or current college student and to determine commonalities and differences between their experiences following the program.
This retrospective study utilized a pre-experimental pre- and post-test design to determine changes in perceived role competence following the transition to college program. Using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, researchers analyzed survey data with a significance level set at p < 0.05. Results showed a statistically significant (p < .05) increase in confidence in one’s decision to attend or not attend college. In addition, eight out of 13 participants demonstrated overall improved role competence. Additionally, follow-up interview data from participant self-reports and parent reports was analyzed for commonalities between the participants’ perceived confidence, as well as their perceptions of the overall program. This data showed similarities in participants’ decision to apply to and attend college, as well as feeling capable of attending college. Nevertheless, participants reportedly continue to experience challenges with making friends and self-advocacy. It may be beneficial to consider these findings during the creation of future transition programs, to potentially emphasize increasing confidence in the social aspects of college.
Overall, these results support the Transition to College program as positively impacting the participants’ perceived confidence and decision to attend college. This research is valuable in demonstrating the importance of confidence and how it influences the potential college student role. Furthermore, the impact of existing programs must be assessed to guide the development of effective programs that meet the needs of this population. Occupational therapy practitioners and other professionals can use the results of the current study to further develop programs to support adolescents and young adults with autism who have a desire to pursue postsecondary education.
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Hewitt, L.E. (2011). Perspectives on support needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorders transition to college. Topics in Language Disorders, 31(3), 273-285. doi:10.1097/TLD.0b013e318227fd19
Schindler, V., Cajiga, A., Aaronson, R., & Salas, L. (2015). The experience of transition to college for students diagnosed with Asperger’s disorder. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 3(1), 1-17. doi:10.15453/2168-6408.1129
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