To be understood: Transitioning to adult life for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to explore the viewpoints of parents of young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in relation to their child's transition to adulthood. Methods: Data were collected during four structured focus groups with 19 parents of young people with ASD wi...

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Main Authors: Thompson, C., Bolte, Sven, Falkmer, Torbjorn, Girdler, Sonya
Format: Journal Article
Published: Public Library of Science 2018
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/67087
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author Thompson, C.
Bolte, Sven
Falkmer, Torbjorn
Girdler, Sonya
author_facet Thompson, C.
Bolte, Sven
Falkmer, Torbjorn
Girdler, Sonya
author_sort Thompson, C.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Introduction: The purpose of this study was to explore the viewpoints of parents of young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in relation to their child's transition to adulthood. Methods: Data were collected during four structured focus groups with 19 parents of young people with ASD with average to high intellectual capacities. Condensed meaning units were identified and checked during focus groups, and were subsequently linked to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Results: Three major themes emerged: to be understood, to understand the world and to succeed. The ICF domains of activity and participation and environmental factors emerged as having the greatest potential to influence transition outcomes. Conclusions: Policies and services should focus on strengths to maximise participation in higher education, employment and independent living amongst young people with ASD. Interventions targeting environmental factors could be effective in improving participation in adult life. Person-centred and individualised approaches could further complement this approach supporting the transition to adulthood for people with ASD, ultimately improving outcomes in adulthood.
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institution Curtin University Malaysia
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-670872018-07-17T00:07:37Z To be understood: Transitioning to adult life for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder Thompson, C. Bolte, Sven Falkmer, Torbjorn Girdler, Sonya Introduction: The purpose of this study was to explore the viewpoints of parents of young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in relation to their child's transition to adulthood. Methods: Data were collected during four structured focus groups with 19 parents of young people with ASD with average to high intellectual capacities. Condensed meaning units were identified and checked during focus groups, and were subsequently linked to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Results: Three major themes emerged: to be understood, to understand the world and to succeed. The ICF domains of activity and participation and environmental factors emerged as having the greatest potential to influence transition outcomes. Conclusions: Policies and services should focus on strengths to maximise participation in higher education, employment and independent living amongst young people with ASD. Interventions targeting environmental factors could be effective in improving participation in adult life. Person-centred and individualised approaches could further complement this approach supporting the transition to adulthood for people with ASD, ultimately improving outcomes in adulthood. 2018 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/67087 10.1371/journal.pone.0194758 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Public Library of Science fulltext
spellingShingle Thompson, C.
Bolte, Sven
Falkmer, Torbjorn
Girdler, Sonya
To be understood: Transitioning to adult life for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder
title To be understood: Transitioning to adult life for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder
title_full To be understood: Transitioning to adult life for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder
title_fullStr To be understood: Transitioning to adult life for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder
title_full_unstemmed To be understood: Transitioning to adult life for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder
title_short To be understood: Transitioning to adult life for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder
title_sort to be understood: transitioning to adult life for people with autism spectrum disorder
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/67087