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

项目摘要/摘要 青少年自闭症(YA-ASD)在就业和接受高等教育(PSE)方面的困难是 几乎是世界通用的。作为回应，已经制定了以获得工作或获得 获准参加PSE项目。然而，我们的初步研究表明，保持一份工作或PSE 入学比一开始就获得这些职位和保住工作的预测因素要困难得多 (例如，家庭氛围、社区规模)不同于与开始工作相关的因素(例如，自闭症 严重程度、智商)。这些研究表明，需要采取新的干预措施，重点放在维持就业或 PSE。此外，职业不稳定(例如，失去工作)是老年人心理健康状况不佳的重要预测因素 普通人群，并可能至少部分地对极高的共生率负责 YA-ASD的精神病理学。拟议研究的目的是为小说的创作奠定基础 促进持续就业/教育参与的干预措施，通过前瞻性审查 中学后就业和教育不稳定(即损失)的预测因素和潜在后果 YA-ASD的就业或教育职位的变化不能反映向上流动)。至 为了实现这一目标，我们将收集200名YA-ASD及其父母在7岁时的前瞻性纵向数据 在三年的时间里。我们将招募高中毕业的年轻人，年龄在18岁之间 26人，智商在70分或以上。我们将使用多个告密者(自我、家长)和多个 方法(访谈、问卷、永久性产品、诊断性评估)测量个体， 家庭、社区因素，以及过渡时期的就业/教育不稳定。我们建议 四个目标：1)确定三年期间中学后就业/教育的不稳定性， 并区分不稳定和向上流动，如YA-ASD：2)以检查个人、家庭、 以及在第一波数据中预测中学后就业/教育活动的社区因素 这些活动在三年期间的收集和不稳定情况：3)检查以下方面的双向影响 就业/教育不稳定与自闭症严重程度、心理健康、适应行为和 YA-ASD的生活质量：和4)使用ASD研究中新的经过充分验证的测量方法以及开放式 问题和永久性产品，我们将探索工作/PSE活动和环境的特定方面 (工作特征和经验、工作满意度、工作环境、支持)与 稳定性/不稳定性。这项研究是对2016-17年度机构间自闭症协调委员会的回应 使用纵向前瞻性设计并收集足够具体的数据以提供信息的战略计划 有针对性的干预。该项目将通过提供新的知识来产生高度的公共卫生影响 迅速转化为新的干预措施，以支持雅加达-阿斯德保持就业/教育岗位。

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.