DOI: 10.3886/icpsr39113.v1
title: UNC TEACCH Efficacy of a Community College Transition Program for Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder, North Carolina, 2019-2021
title: Version 1

description: The UNC TEACCH project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the TEACCH School Transition to Employment and Postsecondary Education Program (T-STEP) intervention for young adults aged 16 to 21 with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) enrolled in community colleges. Over the course of three years, the study has several objectives:

Conduct a pilot study to refine the T-STEP intervention based on stakeholder feedback, ensuring its suitability and practicality in a community college setting.
Evaluate the efficacy of the T-STEP intervention in both in-person and online formats, with 45 young adults with ASD receiving the intervention and 45 in a waitlist control group.
Investigate the characteristics of individuals who benefit most from the program.
Describe employment and college outcomes three months after program completion.

Expected outcomes of the intervention include improvements in executive function/organization, social communication, emotion regulation, and self-advocacy/self-determination skills. The study also aims to identify which individuals benefit most from the T-STEP intervention and whether there is an increased rate of employment and/or college success at follow-up.
The anticipated deliverables include conference presentations, peer-reviewed publications, and an intervention manual that is both socially valid and evidence-based, facilitating its broad implementation across community college campuses.
description: The data includes variables about:

Medication Usage
Developmental or Health Disorders
Conditions and Illnesses
Self-harm
Coping Self-Efficacy
Depression
School Experiences
Demographic variables include age, education, ethnicity, and race.
description: Response Rates: For year 1 of the study, 45 participants were referred to the study. Of those 45, 7 withdrew before the start of the intervention and 3 withdrew after the intervention had already began; 26 completed the 3 month follow up.
For year 2 of the study, 62 participants were referred to the study. Of those 62, 5 did not consent to participate, 3 withdrew from the study before the start of the intervention, 6 withdrew after the start of the intervention, 60 completed the 3 month follow up.
description: Presence of Common Scales: The following measurements are used in this study:

Social Responsiveness Scale-2 (SRS-2), Adult Form
Wechsler Abbreviated Scales of Intelligence-II (WASI-2)
Risk Assessment (P4)
State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)
T-STEP Follow Up Survey
Medical History Form
Becker Work Adjustment Profile-2 (BWAP)
Coping Self-Efficacy Scale (CSES)
The American Institutes for Research Self-Determination Scale, Student Form (AIR-S)/Parent Form (AIR-P)
Adjustment to College: Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ)
Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function, Adult Version (BRIEF-A)
description: Potential subjects were identified through our collaborative relationships with community college campus disability services, regional Vocational Rehabilitation offices, and through local high schools through special education services coordinators and transition fairs.
The T-STEP clinical services were provided through a collaboration with the UNC TEACCH Autism Program, the North Carolina Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (NCDVRS), and the North Carolina Community College System. Eligible participants were referred from NCDVRS. If a family called the project directly, they were referred to NCDVRS for approval. Participants in the T-STEP clinical services program were asked if their clinical records could be used for research purposes and data was collected from records review.
The T-STEP services coordinator at TEACCH initially informed clients that their community college site was participating in a research study and conducted an screening to confirm that participants meet initial eligibility requirements. The coordinator or a trained research assistant then contacted all potential participants to explain the research protocol.
description: Datasets: 
DS0: Study-Level Files
DS1: Public-Use Data
DS2: Restricted-Use Data
description: Autistic individuals between the ages of 16-21, with average or above average cognitive ability.
description: paper and pencil interview (PAPI); web-based surveyThe components of the T-STEP intervention were provided through an ongoing collaboration with the North Carolina Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services and the North Carolina Community College System. The pre- and post- assessments were also provided as part of these clinical services and the data was obtained for use in this study via clinical records review.
The global Covid-19 pandemic greatly impacted the study timeline and data collection.The following copywritten measures were used for data collection: WASI-II, BRIEF, SRS, and STAI.For additional information on the UNC TEACCH Efficacy of a Community College Transition Program for Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder Study, please visit the TEACCH website.