Purpose: Research documents poor outcomes for autistic adults in the domains of employment, independent living, and social relationships. Measurement and sample limitations in prior studies may have amplified past estimates of poor outcomes. The goal of the current study was to improve upon past approaches and to create and describe a measurement…

Poor social skills is a leading factor why individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) lose their jobs. Fortunately, the use of technology has made learning and teaching social skills more seamless and integrated in employment contexts. We conducted a multiple-probe-across-participants single-case experimental design study…

College options for students with intellectual disabilities continue to grow. However, there is a gap among students and families about available college opportunities. This study provides evidence of a weeklong summer academy that bridges the gap between high school and college. Results showed the summer academy increased participants' awareness…

Despite the importance of student-adult relationship to students' experiences of school belonging, little is known about the activities that create and sustain these relationships. In the present article, we examine the interpersonal and institutional relationship-building activities described by students and adults following a transitional school…

Many students with autism have difficulties engaging with their classroom environments and forming friendships, which are mostly affected by deficits in social, communication, and motor skills. The Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS, 2000) data set was used, focusing on elementary age students with autism, to explore the…

Recent trends suggest that autistic young adults are increasingly accessing postsecondary education than in years past. However, these students often face unique challenges that negatively impact their college experience resulting in high dropout. The Mentoring, Organization and Social Support for Autism Inclusion on Campus (MOSSAIC) Program is a…

College students on the autism spectrum report the following support needs: interpersonal skills and coping with unexpected change. The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the effects of an interpersonal skills seminar using elements of the PEERS® curriculum on the acquisition of conversational behaviors by three young adults on the…

During the Coronavirus Pandemic, many have worried about the adverse impact on the social functioning of children with autism spectrum disorder. Telehealth-delivered group social skills programs offer one way to address this concern. This brief report describes modifications made to the telehealth delivery of the Secret Agent Society group social…

This study examines the impact of a comprehensive college transition program, the Thompson Scholars Learning Communities (TSLC), on psychosocial outcomes using an experimental design. We estimate overall and heterogenous effects of program participation on students' sense of belonging to campus, feelings of mattering to campus, sense of academic…

Transition to school may be experienced as a critical event for both children and their families. Within an ecological framework of transition, the scope of the concept of school readiness in recent years has decentered from the child to the environment, including the readiness of (pre)school education to develop core skills in children. This…

Research demonstrates that pupils do not always have the necessary social and emotional intelligence to cope with the transition to secondary school successfully. This paper explores a context-specific intervention designed to enhance key social and emotional skills after a secondary school transition. The intervention was designed with reference…

Video modeling is an effective teaching method for supporting individuals with disabilities to learn various skills. Yet, limited research explores the use of video modeling to teach social skills for employment. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of video modeling, alone and in conjunction with the system of least prompts, to…

The study aimed to investigate trends and explanatory factors for socio-economic inequalities associated with disability during the transition to young adulthood. A sample of 2606 participants (56% females and 44% males) was prospectively followed from adolescence to young adulthood. Disability status, age, gender, mental health problems,…

This mixed-methods study analyzed data collected from a higher education pilot program intended to foster preparation for greater independence with students with intellectual disabilities (ID). Pearson's Quality of Life Inventory (QOLI) (Frisch, 1994) was administered to five program participants with high functioning intellectual disabilities…

Evidence that the learning gains of preschool fade as children transition into elementary school has led to increased efforts to sustain preschool advantages during this key transitional period. This study explores whether the observed benefits of sustainability practices for a range of child outcomes are explained and/or moderated by family and…