Transition Support Program for Young Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorders
Condition: Autism Spectrum Disorder
MeSH terms: Autistic Disorder; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This study investigates a service delivery model to better support young adults with autism
      spectrum disorders (ASD) in the transition from school to the community. The effectiveness of
      the "McGill Transition Support Program", a small-group format intervention (meeting once a
      week for 2 hours over 10 weeks) focusing on communication, self-determination and working
      with others skills, is measured by multiple pre- and post-program-assessments in a "staggered
      enrollment trial", a variant of a randomized controlled trial (RCT).
    

Detailed description: 
      The difficulties characterizing Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are often associated with
      childhood; however, ASD is a lifespan diagnosis that continues to impact opportunities in the
      community. There is currently a very significant gap in support services for young adults
      with ASDs that has grave consequences both for individuals and their families in terms of
      vocational success and social inclusion and for society as a whole in terms of the financial
      burden of long-term adult care.

      Individuals on the higher end of the autism spectrum do not have intellectual disability and
      possess good language skills. Yet they often show significant difficulty with applying their
      skills during demanding social interactions, which is detrimental to their ability to form
      relationships and navigate interactions in the workplace. In the few studies of outcomes of
      adults with ASD it is reported that fewer than 5% of adults at the highest end of the
      spectrum were living independently and only 12% were employed viably. This underscores the
      tremendous need for targeted services for young adults with ASD without intellectual
      disability.

      The McGill Transition Support Program was developed to target participants' self-expressed
      needs in communication, self-determination and working with others skills, which have been
      associated with better quality of life. Besides the intake, pre- and post-program measures
      sessions, the participants, aged 18 - 30 years, take part in ten 2-hour group meetings. The
      study design has been termed a "staggered enrollment trial", that is participants were
      randomly assigned to take part in the program in the next available cycle or to the waiting
      list for a subsequent cycle. Pre- and post-program assessment include social problem solving
      stories, quality of life and self-determination measures, a communication task and a needs
      and skills questionnaire.
    

Intervention name(s): McGill Transition Support Program
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): The McGill Transition Support Program is manual-based, including 15 modules of curriculum, five in each of the following domains of skills:
Social communication (e.g. listening, perspective taking)
Self-determination (e.g. problem-solving, self-advocacy)
Working with others (e.g. knowing your context, teamwork)
Nine out of the 15 modules are selected for each group according to the common needs endorsed by participants on a needs assessment questionnaire. Each group consists of 4 adults and two facilitators who were graduate students in Speech Language Pathology or Educational Psychology.
The intervention follows a Self-Determination Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI) that considers the individual's strengths and needs in the development of personal goals and plans for one's future. A workbook is used to accompany each module with the aim of having the participants practice and generalize the main content messages.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Transition Support Program for young adults