Parent Expectations and Preparatory Activities as Adolescents with ASD Transition to Adulthood.

The survey was done at one time point, so it cannot show that parent expectations caused the preparatory activities or that activities changed expectations over time. Most parents were Caucasian, married or in a long-term relationship, well-educated, and had household income higher than the U.S. median, so results may not apply to less resourced families. The sample deliberately included more parents of female adolescents than the usual gender ratio in autism, so the findings should not be read as representative of all families of adolescents with ASD. Some parents estimated their child's intellectual functioning, and more parents of children with borderline IQ or IQ below 70 did so, so cognitive level may be inaccurate. Parents only answered yes or no about transition activities, not how often, how deeply, or with what message, so the study cannot capture the quality of preparation. The researchers tested many relationships at once, so some reported associations may have occurred by chance.

Do not read the associations between parent expectations and transition activities as proof that changing expectations will change outcomes. The study measured parents at one time point, did not test an intervention, and did not show causality.