This article presents findings from a multisite randomized clinical trial measuring the impact of employment on independence in 18 to 22 year old youth with significant impact from autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The treatment condition was Project SEARCH plus ASD Supports (PS+ASD) where 73.4% of participants gained competitive integrated…

Developing skills for functional independence is important to gain employment, engage in postsecondary education, and live independently. Unfortunately, individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience difficulties with functional independence skills needed to complete common, everyday tasks. This study examined the effects of work…

Self-care skills, especially food preparation skills, are essential for independence as young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) transition to adulthood. This practice brief reviews the impact of a six-week course designed to teach cooking skills to college students with ASD. The goal was to increase confidence in cooking and frequency of…

The growing number of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in postsecondary education requires accommodations beyond typically provided supports in order to ensure success. However, most campuses lack support services provided in addition to general accommodations. A supplemental support program within a public university was developed to…

AutismSpeaks.org estimated that a total of 1.1 million teens with autism will enter adulthood in the next decade (Autism Speaks, n.d.). Unfortunately, research shows many of those individuals will have bleak outcomes in life postsecondary (Lake et al., 2014; Posar & Visconti, 2018). This issue will compound without proper resources and…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of students with Level I Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who were involved with transition planning which resulted in ongoing services after high school. This study sought to understand student and parental perspectives of the value and impact of the facets of transition planning.…

People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience higher rates of unemployment and underemployment than any other disability category. Employment may play an important role in the development of self-worth for people with ASD. Some people with ASD require workplace accommodations. Technology-based accommodations may be one solution for helping…

Daily living skills deficits are strongly associated with poor adult outcomes for individuals with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder, and yet, there are no group interventions targeting daily living skills. Seven adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and their parents participated in a feasibility pilot of a 12-week manualized group…

Novel management strategies for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) propose providing interventions before diagnosis. We performed a cost-effectiveness analysis comparing the costs and dependency-free life years (DFLYs) generated by pre-diagnosis intensive Early Start Denver Model (ESDM-I); pre-diagnosis parent-delivered ESDM (ESDM-PD); and the Ontario…

State-specific 1915(c) Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services waiver programs have become central in the provision of services specifically tailored to children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Using propensity score matching, 130 families receiving waiver services for a child with ASD were matched with and compared to 130 families…

The aim of this study is to report employment and independent living outcomes of 125 graduates from the Taft College Transition to Independent Living (TIL) program. The TIL program has served students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder, since 1995. The TIL program follows graduates from the time of…

The features of autism that inhibit the independent demonstration of skills, as well as three effective interventions for increasing independence, are explored in this review article. Independent performance may prove difficult for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) due to the core deficits of the disability, as well as executive…