Stakeholder perspectives on transition planning, implementation, and outcomes for students with autism spectrum disorder.
Claire Snell-Rood, Lisa Ruble, Harold Kleinert and 6 others
PMID 31957461WHAT IT FOUND
Stakeholders reported that school transition plans often did not account for job skills, adult services, or benefits.
Parents said implementation often fell to families. They wanted earlier vocational rehabilitation involvement, clear roles, and long-term supports after graduation.
Key findings
01Participants said transition planning often had inappropriate goals and did not account for the full range of abilities on the autism spectrum.
02Parents reported that after transition meetings they often carried the responsibility for making plans happen.
03Stakeholders said providers vital after school were often missing from transition meetings, so students had to connect to services later.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Only 40 unique stakeholders were interviewed in one midwestern state, so the themes may not fit schools, agencies, or families elsewhere. Only 4 individuals with autism spectrum disorder took part, and they were college students with verbal skills matching their age, so the paper does not represent students without those verbal skills. Parents were recruited from advocacy groups and a school serving low-income families, and the authors note the sample may have over-represented parents already involved in autism advocacy. The study reports people's experiences and suggestions, not observed transition plans or measured post-school outcomes. Focus groups were small, often two to four people, because of participants' work schedules, so some views may be missing.
Declared interests
No author conflict-of-interest statement appears in the supplied text. The metadata lists research support from an NIH extramural grant.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these stakeholder reports as proof that any transition planning model improves outcomes. The paper describes perceived barriers and suggestions from 40 stakeholders in one state, and it did not test an intervention or measure post-school results.