A Longitudinal Study of Employment and Educational Instability for Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Difficulties in employment and postsecondary education (PSE) among young adults with ASD (YA-ASD) are nearly universal. In response, interventions have been developed that target obtaining a job or gaining admittance to a PSE program. However, our preliminary research suggests that maintaining a job or PSE enrollment is more difficult than obtaining those positions in the first place, and the predictors of keeping a job (e.g., family climate, community size) are different than those associated with starting a job (e.g., autism severity, IQ). These studies suggest the need for new interventions focused on maintaining employment or PSE. Further, vocational instability (e.g., losing a job) is a significant predictor of poor mental health in the general population, and might be responsible, at least in part, for the very high rates of co-occurring psychopathology among YA-ASD. The objective of the proposed research is to lay the groundwork for novel interventions to promote sustained employment/educational participation, by prospectively examining predictors and potential consequences of postsecondary employment and educational instability (i.e., loss of/change in employment or educational position that is not reflective of upward mobility) for YA-ASD. To accomplish this objective, we will collect prospective longitudinal data from 200 YA-ASD and their parents at 7 times over a 3-year period. We will recruit young adults who have exited high school, between the ages of 18 and 26, who have an IQ score of 70 or above. We will use multiple informants (self, parent) and multiple methods (interviews, questionnaires, permanent products, diagnostic evaluations) to measure individual, family, and community factors, and employment/educational instability during the transition years. We propose four Aims: 1) To determine rates of instability in postsecondary employment/education over a 3-year period, and differentiate instability from upward mobility as experienced by YA-ASD: 2) To examine individual, family, and community factors that predict postsecondary employment/educational activities at the first wave of data collection, and instability in these activities over a 3-year period: 3) To examine bidirectional effects of employment/educational instability and changes in autism severity, mental health, adaptive behavior, and quality of life for YA-ASD: and 4) Using well-validated measures new to ASD research along with open-ended questions and permanent products, we will explore specific aspects of work/PSE activities and environment (job characteristics and experiences, job satisfaction, workplace environment, supports) associated with stability/instability. This study is responsive to the 2016-17 Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee Strategic Plan by using a longitudinal prospective design and collecting data with enough specificity to inform targeted interventions. The project will have high public health impact by providing new knowledge that can be translated rapidly into novel interventions to support YA-ASD in maintaining employment/educational positions.