Education and Outcomes For High School Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Perspectives From Multiple Stakeholders

The Center for Secondary Education for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders is a research and development project funded by the Department of Education focusing on developing, adapting, and studying a comprehensive school-and community-based education program for high school with ASD. This presentation describes the phases and components of the center, as well as results from 28 focus groups that highlight the challenges and successes of high school education for students with ASD as experienced by adolescents, parents, and school professionals. High School Education for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The future for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) currently enrolled in high school programs is bleak. When young adults with ASD leave the public school system “nearly 80% still live at home, almost half have no jobs or postsecondary training, 40% never have contact with friends, 17% never feel hopeful about the future, 21% never engage in outside activities, and many experience a decrease in insurance coverage and therapy services” (Shattuck, 2010). The public school system is clearly falling short of its responsibility to prepare students with ASD for a productive and independent life after high school (Taylor & Seltzer, 2010). However, it is important to note that many practitioners working in high school settings are likely ill-equipped to meet these responsibilities because most of the research on intervention, instructional strategies, and comprehensive treatment models has been conducted with preschool and elementary-aged children with ASD (Hendricks & Wehman, 2009). When the increased numbers of students with ASD requiring special education is coupled with the lack of efficacious and feasible interventions for adolescents and young adults, it becomes apparent that there is a need to develop a comprehensive treatment specifically for adolescents with ASD.

Objectives of Presentation

This presentation will introduce participants to the development and research of a comprehensive treatment model for high school students with ASD- the Center for Secondary Education for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (CSESA). Participants will learn about the process by which researchers across six universities are building the model and testing its efficacy. One element of the development is a qualitative study of stakeholder experiences of secondary education with the aim of utilizing the results to inform the development of the comprehensive treatment model components. The presenters will share with participants the results of 28 focus groups conducted across five universities with adolescents with autism spectrum disorders, parents, and professionals (e.g., special educators, general educators, administrators, vocational coordinators). These focus groups shared their successes and challenges learning in and working in high school environments. These experiences put emphasis on the critical areas of need, supportive innovations currently in use, systemic barriers and drivers for effective implementation of evidence-based practices for students with ASD. Focus group data were analyzed across the four components of CSESA and thus provide rich information about ways in which schools are supporting and failing to support students with ASD related directly to social competence, transition and families, academics, Personal Responsibility, Independence and Self-management (PRISM).  Participants will have the opportunity to reflect on the ways in which the focus group results generalize to their contexts and ways in which their contexts could implement components.

Center for Secondary Education for Students with ASD

CSESA is a research and development project funded by the Department of Education that focuses on developing, adapting, and studying a comprehensive school-and community-based education program for high school students on the autism spectrum. The Center on Secondary Education for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (CSESA) is a multi-site research and development center funded by the Department of Education that will (1) develop a school- and community-based comprehensive treatment model (CTM) for high school students with ASD and (2) conduct an efficacy study of the impact of the CTM on multiple student outcomes and transition to post-school settings.  The foundation for the CSESA model will be based on the system of evidence-based practice implementation and quality improvement established by the National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders. Four features of this model to be elaborated for high school students with ASD are: Academic Performance, Social Competence and Peer Relations, Personal Responsibility, Independence, and Self-Management (PRISM), and Transition and Family.

The CSESA project will consist of two phases: a development phase (Years 1-2) and an efficacy phase (Years 3-5). In the development phase, CSESA teams will adapt existing instructional strategies, interventions, curricula and procedures in the specific component areas for use with adolescents with ASD. In the efficacy phase, high schools will be randomly assigned to a CSESA or a Business as Usual (BAU) condition; implementation will be assessed in both CSESA and the BAU condition; and student performance will be analyzed. The high schools, students, and families will participate in the study for two years with one year of follow up (for one cohort).

Development Phase – Focus Groups

            Focus groups were conducted by researchers at five universities (University of North Carolina -Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina – Charlotte, Vanderbilt University, University of Wisconsin, and University of Texas - Austin) to gather stakeholder experiences of secondary education for adolescents with ASD. Current high schoolers with ASD, parents, and secondary education professionals (e.g., special educators, general educators, administrators, vocational coordinators) were introduced to the emerging CSESA model and its components. Participants were asked for their experiences related to the components: Academic Performance, Social Competence and Peer Relations, Personal Responsibility, Independence, and Self-Management (PRISM), and Transition and Family. Focus group participants offered their perspectives on critical elements to include in the components, as well as feedback on systemic supports necessary to ensure effective implementation. Focus group data from across the universities are being analyzed according to global high school concerns, as well as component specific content. The results from the focus groups inform the development of CSESA. These results also highlight some of the reasons why young adults with ASD complete their high school experience without jobs, friends, or the adequate development of skills related to independence.  

Summary

Through this presentation we will introduce participants to the Center for Secondary Education for Students with ASD and its 5 year aims. Additionally, we will present focus group data gathered across 5 universities which shed light on the experiences of high school students with ASD, their parents, and school professionals who work with them. Through these stakeholders’ experiences we explore ways in which public high schools are innovatively implementing educational practices for their students with ASD, and ways in which schools are challenged to support the student outcomes essential for productive, happy adult lives. Participants will have the opportunity to reflect on their own experience, as individuals with ASD, parents, and/or school professionals, in comparison to focus group stakeholders’ experience and consider how the a model such as CSESA could be implemented in their settings.