Transition Planning for College Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Introduction and Background

Designing effective support services for students with autism remains one of the most pressing needs in special education (Creswell, 2013). Autism is described as a spectrum because of its diverse manifestations; therefore, students with autism spectrum disorders comprise a heterogeneous group. This heterogeneity makes it harder to design effective support services that meet the needs of all persons. Research consistently shows that although students with autism spectrum disorders do not necessarily have concurrent intellectual or learning disabilities — and many have the potential for high academic achievement — these students are "at risk of scholastic underachievement" (Clarke, Hill & Charman, 2016; Creswell, 2013). According to White, Elias, Salinas, et al. (2016), many individuals with autism spectrum disorder have above-average intellectual ability and yet are less likely to enroll in postsecondary education such as college or university.

In addition to being at risk for scholastic underachievement, students with autism spectrum disorder are also at risk for social isolation and mental health problems (Clarke, Hill & Charman, 2016). For example, Mackay, Shochet & Orr (2017) show how prevalence rates for depression are much higher for students with autism spectrum disorder than among their neurotypical peers. Underachievement can also lead to lifelong problems related to career underachievement and therefore lower earnings, as well as reduced self-efficacy and self-advocacy (White, Elias, Salinas, et al., 2016). While transition planning tends to be formally integrated into special education programming — particularly because it is built into the mandatory components of the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) — transition planning remains inconsistent in practice.

Students with autism spectrum disorders report "negative experiences" of their transitions, including those from primary school to secondary school (Makin, Hill & Pellicano, 2017, p. 1). The transition to college can be even more challenging for students with autism spectrum disorders. Research shows that students with autism are being critically underserved and have not been receiving evidence-based practices for transition planning from secondary school to college or university (Elias & White, 2017). As a result, students with autism spectrum disorders are either not enrolling in college or university, or are leaving their programs early because they lack necessary supports (Wei, Wagner, Hudson, et al., 2015). At the same time, students with autism are matriculating at colleges and universities at higher rates than ever before (Elias & White, 2017). As students with autism become more prevalent on college campuses, there is an explicit need for conscientious transition planning. Transition planning is also two-fold, involving the types of supports students and their families need, as well as the institutional and structural supports or changes to organizational culture in both high schools and colleges.

For example, Matthews, Ly & Goldberg (2014) conducted original research showing the importance of peer support in college. Results of their survey showed that prior knowledge of, experience with, or exposure to autism led to more positive attitudes towards peers with autism in college or university. This research suggests that secondary school teachers need to address autism more frankly and work harder to incorporate social opportunities into transition planning programs. Focusing exclusively on the academic needs of students is insufficient. Likewise, focusing only on students with autism and not on their neurotypical peers would also be an error. Effective transition planning involves multifaceted interventions that address goal setting, self-efficacy, and social skills confidence.

This research addresses a critical issue related to planning for students with autism. Students with autism are often highly functioning academically but less so socially, raising questions about how transition planning can better serve this important cohort. Transition planning in special education has improved to the point where students with autism are enrolling more and more in college and university, and yet they need more support during this "precarious life stage" (Van Hees, Moyson & Roeyers, 2014, p. 1673). Existing transition planning programs focus almost exclusively on academics or on psychological supports offered through school counselors — important issues, of course, but ones that fail to take into account the need for peer and social support during the transition from high school to college (Brown & Coomes, 2015). Decreased graduation rates and poorer outlooks for career and personal success are problems that can be addressed through effective transition planning (Van Hees, Moyson & Roeyers, 2014; White, Elias & Salinas, 2016). Transition planning needs to be more comprehensive for students with autism, incorporating issues such as mental health support, goal setting, academic structural supports, and social support.

Students with autism spectrum disorders experience higher levels of anxiety than their neurotypical counterparts (Clarke & Charman, 2016). It is possible that anxiety is related in part to social "isolation," which in turn leads to "scholastic underachievement" (Clarke & Charman, 2016, p. 3883). Mackay, Shochet & Orr (2017) also point out that students with autism spectrum disorders exhibit more depressive symptoms, including suicidal behavior, compared to their neurotypical peers, in part due to "communication and social interaction difficulties" (p. 3458). In addition to struggling to meet "social demands" and being victims of bullying, students with autism spectrum disorders may also exhibit poor coping skills that can impede an otherwise clear path to academic and career success (Mackay, Shochet & Orr, 2017, p. 3458).

Problem Statement

Research consistently shows that the anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues experienced by students with autism spectrum disorders can be mitigated by "increased public awareness" (Matthews, Ly & Goldberg, 2014, p. 97). Therefore, this research focuses on how to increase public awareness of autism so that students will develop stronger social self-efficacy and social support systems in high school, easing the transition to college. Likewise, this research focuses on how to create the most inclusive and supportive environments in college and university, to help vulnerable populations cope with what is already a stressful time for neurotypical students and which could be a critical juncture for those with autism spectrum disorders.

This research will contribute to a growing body of knowledge about transition planning for students with autism spectrum disorders. Research in special education has shown that students with autism report unsatisfactory transition planning services (Makin, Hill & Pellicano, 2017). While research has demonstrated the importance of providing specialized services for students with autism spectrum disorders, there is still a gap in the literature regarding what types of social supports students need to ease their transitions from high school to college. Most importantly, the literature does not yet show what colleges and universities can do to create a more supportive social environment for students with autism spectrum disorders. This research is designed in part to contribute to the research base and to fill a gap in the special education literature.

A more pressing purpose of this research is to inform best practices in special education. At every level of grade school and in higher education, students with autism spectrum disorder need access to individualized services and support. Students with autism spectrum disorder who are highly functioning academically may be technically able to complete a college degree but may lack the social or psychological supports required to ensure that degree is completed, or that the student does not drop out. Similarly, students need to know they are supported in their higher education and on track to pursue career goals. This research is designed to show what is lacking in current transition planning. The results can be used to bolster special education transition planning for all populations, but especially for students with autism spectrum disorders, and to inform best practices at every level of education — particularly high school and college.

High school administrators and guidance counselors can use information from this mixed-methods research to improve their transition planning programs and help create a more supportive environment for students with autism spectrum disorder. Research already shows that public awareness and education about autism spectrum disorders improves peer perceptions and attitudes toward students with autism (Matthews, Ly & Goldberg, 2014). Therefore, it is important to encourage high school administrators to actively advocate and educate on behalf of students with autism spectrum disorders.

College administrators, deans, and professors may also need more information regarding students with autism spectrum disorders. Many college and university leaders and educators may be unprepared to serve students with special needs, including those with autism spectrum disorders. The provisions of the IEP and IDEA do not legally extend to colleges and universities beyond the laws that prevent and prohibit discrimination. Colleges and universities can nonetheless do more to ease the transition from high school to college for students with autism spectrum disorders by taking specific steps. Those steps may include the creation of student support groups, but ultimately it should be up to the students themselves to reveal what they want or need from a formal social support service in college. The first phase of this research is designed to assess student perceptions, needs, and experiences in order to eliminate bias in the construction of effective transition planning services. The second phase is designed to provide educators and administrators with the hard evidence and metrics needed to showcase program efficacy and cost effectiveness. If the proposed program does in fact lead to higher retention rates — with extraneous variables controlled for — then the transition planning program can become more firmly embedded in special education practice.

Purpose Statement

The research questions are as follows. First, what types of social support can or should be offered during high school and the first few years of college or university to improve transitions for students with autism? Second, when social support is embedded into transition planning for students with autism, does it result in improved retention rates and other explicit measures of student success in college or university?

The first research question can be answered with qualitative methods, including interviews with students who have already formally declared intent to attend college or university in their transition planning. As transition planning is already part of the IEP, special education teachers, school counselors, administrators, and parents need to be more responsive to the specific needs of students — not just for academic support but also for social and peer support. Interviews with students will help elucidate what students need and how those needs can best be met through more effective and impactful transition planning.

The second research question can best be answered using quantitative methods, which is why a mixed-methods design is used in this research. The quantitative component will entail a longitudinal design that traces the same population sample used in the qualitative phase, showing whether the social support services offered in transition planning yield measurable results in terms of program completion or retention rates.

For the quantitative phase, the hypothesis is that students with autism spectrum disorders who participate in an enhanced transition planning program including social support will have higher degree completion rates and lower dropout rates compared to students with autism spectrum disorders who did not participate in the program.

A sequential mixed-methods approach is ideal for responding to the dual nature of these research questions. Sequential transformative designs can be used to initially gather information from students and use that information to inform best practices in transition planning and program design. A two-phase approach is preferable to a concurrent one for several reasons. One reason is to minimize researcher bias. While it may be assumed that students with autism spectrum disorders will respond to certain types of supports, the only way to truly gauge student perceptions is through qualitative research, including in-depth one-on-one interviews. After gathering input from students, researchers will be able to design more responsive transition planning programs and conduct follow-up interviews to assess the efficacy of the intervention, while also using a longitudinal quantitative study to gather data on student retention rates in college.

During the first phase of the study, researchers will use interviews and focus groups to gather information from students and special education teachers regarding peer supports and the importance of social support in university. The information gleaned will then be used to design a specialized component of transition planning. Transition plans that include social support services will be designed in conjunction with special education teachers and representatives from colleges and universities. The transition planning program will not supplant those already in place but will enhance them through structured social support programs. These programs may include support groups involving other students with autism spectrum disorders, but will most likely also involve the inclusion of neurotypical peers, who can provide the support required in both high school and college. After the first phase of research involving interviews, students with autism can be randomly assigned to control and experimental groups, and quantitative data gathered. Over the following years, researchers can collect data related to retention rates and overall performance using both qualitative and quantitative methods.

The Stepped Transition in Education Program for Students with ASD (STEPS) has already proven successful in addressing issues such as improved self-regulation and self-determination — key components for student success in college and university (White, Elias, Capriola-Hall, et al., 2017). This research will explore means of expanding on the STEPS model by incorporating social supports. The inclusion of social supports will reflect the heterogeneous population of students with autism spectrum disorder. Social supports will also begin with consideration of school organizational culture, and the effort to use public awareness, education, and outreach to help neurotypical students better understand autism spectrum disorders, thereby eliminating bias and stigma and creating a more inclusive environment for all students with special needs. It is assumed that students with autism spectrum disorders who experience more supportive social environments in secondary school will develop better psychological and social coping mechanisms to ease the transition to university. If comparable social support services are not available in college or university, students with autism spectrum disorder are at increased risk for dropping out or failing to achieve long-term academic and career goals. Support services can also include support groups for students with autism spectrum disorders and services that recognize the diverse needs within this population.