1. “I NEVER PLANNED NOT TO GO TO COLLEGE”: VOICES OF YOUNG ADULTS WITH ASPERGER SYNDROME TRANSITIONING TO COLLEGE PRELIMINARY RESULTS FROM A QUALITATIVE STUDY Charlotte Y. Alverson & Kara Hirano YTP Statewide Feb 21, 2013

2. Session Description  In this session, we will share critical transition services young adults with Asperger syndrome need to transition to college. Multiple interviews with young adults, their parent, and a high school teacher were conducted to learn what transition needs they had when preparing to go to college.

3. General Transition to College  Of the 3.1 million youth (ages 16-24) who graduated from high school in 2011, 68.3% enrolled in colleges or universities.  Between 2000 and 2010, undergraduate enrollment in degree- granting postsecondary institutions increased by 37%, from 13.2 to 18.1 million students.  Between 1973 and 2008, the share of jobs in the U.S. economy which required postsecondary education increased from 28 percent to 59 percent. According to projections, the share of postsecondary jobs will increase from 59 to 63 percent over the next decade.

4. The median annual earnings of a full-time worker (age 25-34) in 2010 SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau Education Level Median Annual Earnings

5. Disability in College  A postsecondary education goal is required for all students with disabilities who have transition plans.  30% of youth with disabilities engage in postsecondary education during the first two years after leaving high school.  Despite 89% of students who reported they intended to finish their programs, only 29% had earned a degree or certificate when they left.

6. Extent to which young adults with disabilities ever enrolled in a postsecondary school considered themselves as having a disability and informed postsecondary schools of disability SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Special Education Research, National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2), Wave 5 parent interview and youth interview/survey, 2009.

7. Asperger syndrome in College 58% of students with autism in the NLTS-2 study had attended some postsecondary education.

8. University of Oregon

9. College Barriers  From IDEA entitlement to services in high school to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and ADA eligibility in college  Social Skills  Communication  Self-advocacy  Executive Functioning  Narrow area of interest

10. How do we help students with Asperger Syndrome prepare for and succeed in college?

11. Voices Study  Research Questions: 1. What unique personal and contextual barriers do young adults with Asperger syndrome (AS) face when enrolling and remaining in college? 2. What high school transition services do these individuals need to be successful in their first year of college?

12. Voices Study  Methods  1-hour, semi-structured interviews Young adults diagnosed with AS Their parent Their former or current teacher who knew them during high school Vocational Rehabilitation counselor  2 interviews each with young adults and their family  26 interviews in total

13. Voices Study  Participants  Recruitment: VR, school districts, and developmental pediatrician  Inclusion and Exclusion criteria Medical diagnosis for Asperger syndrome Exited high school and had time to enroll in college Intellectual and academic ability to attend college No mental health condition that may complicate college success Currently enrolled, enrolled and dropped out, never enrolled  Five, males, ages at first interview, 19 – 23  High School Experiences Two graduated HS in 4-years with regular diploma Two were home schooled and obtained GED One obtained modified diploma and remained in HS transition program  Years enrolled in college at first interview, 0 to 3 years

14. Voices Study  Analysis  Coded the interviews to identify specific themes Transition experiences Supports and services received Supports and services needed

15. Case Study Highlighting 3 case studies representative of the participants’ experiences  Read through the case study  Pair with a colleague to identify what transition services you would recommend for the young adult in the case study  Group share: what are your recommendations?

16. Where are they now?  Never enrolled in college  Engaged in a work evaluation at sheltered workshop  Lives at home Brent

17. Where are they now?  Moved out of home with peers; disagreement with peers; moved home  Enrolled at community college for 4 th term  Plans to transition to UO in the future  Currently taking the same math course for the 4 th time  Attended college 2-hrs from home  Returned to hometown with girlfriend after 1 st yr and enrolled in community college for 1 year  Currently enrolled in university for 3 rd year  Moved with girlfriend to an apartment  Independently secured a campus job Jorge Irwin

18. Early Themes

19. Evidence-Based Practices Interventions to Improve Academic Outcomes:  Peer Assistance - students learning from students, e.g., cooperative groups, peer tutoring,  Self-Management - methods used by students to manage, monitor, record, and/or assess their behavior or academic achievement  Technology-Based - computer- or video-based interventions, multimedia programs, technology-based assessment, and verbatim audio recordings  Visual Display - graphic representations of abstract information, e.g., graphic organizers, cognitive organizers, cognitive maps, structured overviews, tree diagrams, concept maps, and Thinking Maps  Mnemonics - memory aides

20. Resources  National Post-School Outcomes Center- NPSO  Psocenter.org Research Briefs for evidence-based practices for academic outcomes  National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center – NSTTAC  Nsttac.org Evidence-Based Practices Research to Practice Lesson Plan Starters  National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders  Autismpdc.fpg.unc.edu Autism Internet Manuals on Evidence-Based Practices – task analysis of how to teach and monitor using EBPs.