Longitudinal study of school leavers with autism
The transition from school to adult life for people with an Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families is one of the most difficult periods to traverse. Services and support are fragmented, and this stage of life for individuals with an ASD remains poorly coordinated and poorly researched. Researchers from the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre the Autism Cooperative Research Centre (Autism CRC) are together conducting the longitudinal study, A unique profile of school leavers with Autism.
The main aim of this study is to better understand the process of transitioning from school to adult life for Australian students with an ASD and their families.
We would also like to understand how students who DO NOT have an ASD transition from school to adult life, in order to understand the unique ASD profiles and issues associated with this period.
Who can participate in this study?
- 15-25 year olds who have an Autism Spectrum condition
- Students with an ASD, finishing school or in their first year post-school
- Students without an Autism Spectrum condition finishing school or in their first year post-school
- A parent/guardian of one of the above young
What is involved?
As a participant you will be asked to:
- Complete one survey when you first agree to participate, followed by two further surveys, one 12 months later and again at 24 months.
- If you are a young person, you will be asked to complete questions about yourself.
- If you are a parent of a young person, you will be asked questions about yourself and your child, including questions about your well being.
- You will not need to complete all of the survey questions at once; you will have one month from commencement date to complete the entire survey.
- The survey can be completed either on-line or as a hard copy (paper booklet).
To find out more about the project, please contact Dr Mirko Uljarevic (M.Uljarevic@latrobe.edu.au) or Ms Ru Ying Cai (R.Cai@latrobe.edu.au) or you can follow these two links:
http://www.autismcrc.com.au/longitudinal-study-school-leavers-autism