Transition program for adolescents and young adults with autism in Australia

INTERVENTION: The TRANSITION program was developed in Sweden specifically for adolescents and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders. The program aimed at improving adult transition outcomes of young people with autism in major life areas of employment, education community participation and quality of life. The TRANSITION program runs for 24 weeks and consists of a combination of group‐based workshops covering important adult life domains and a mentor program. During the initial session, TRANSITION participants meet individually with their assigned mentor to discuss their current situation, formulate goals and action plans. Following the initial meeting, the participants will take part in weekly group based workshops, each involving 10 participants and two facilitators. The group workshops will cover seven life domains such as work, education, finances, housing, health, leisure/participation in society and relationships/social networks. Each group will include a presentation on one of two life domains, and group discussions. After the 5‐week face‐to‐face group workshops, participants will meet with their mentor on a weekly basis for four months. Mentoring meetings can be conducted face‐to‐face, phone call, SMS, or email communication (approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour each meeting). The mentoring sessions will focus on facilitating the participants to work towards their goals and completing their personalised action plans. Mentoring meetings are completed in an individual setting. The mentors and facilitators running the TRANSITION program are required to have clinical expertise in autism, specifically professionals with a background in psychology, occupational therapy, special education, speech pathology or social work. TRANSITION mentors and facilitators will receive training to deliver the group and mentoring components of the TRANSITION program. The training will be conducted by the Swedish developers of the TRANSITION program, approximately 1‐2 months prior to the int CONDITION: autism spectrum disorders; ; autism spectrum disorders Mental Health ‐ Autistic spectrum disorders Neurological ‐ Other neurological disorders INCLUSION CRITERIA: Individuals aged 16 to 30 years old Clinical consensus of diagnosis of ASD as defined by the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders version 5 or IV, sighted via participants' diagnostic reports and confirmed with clinically significant scores on the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) Intellectual quotient scores > 70 as measured by the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence‐ Second Edition (WASI‐II) PRIMARY OUTCOME: Goal Attainment Scale (GAS): The GAS is a quantitative goal setting process, allowing participants to set personally meaningful goals. Goal achievement is graded into five point rating scales, (‐2 much less than expected outcome, ‐1 less than expected outcome, 0 expected outcome after intervention, +1 greater than expected outcome, +2 much greater than expected outcome)[Timepoint 1: Week 0 (pre‐intervention), 2: Week 24 (post‐intervention)‐primary timepoint and 3(12 months post completion of intervention)] Self‐efficacy will be measured using the Generalized self‐efficacy scale (GSE), providing a measure of global self‐efficacy and problem solving. The Circumplex Scales of Interpersonal Efficacy (CSIE) will be used to measure individuals confidence in successfully performing interpersonal behaviors, such as assertiveness. [Timepoint 1: Week 0 (pre‐intervention), 2: Week 24 (post‐intervention)‐primary timepoint and 3(12 months post completion of intervention)] SECONDARY OUTCOME: Environment support (facilitators and barriers): The Measure of the Quality of the Environment (MQE) evaluates facilitators and barriers in the environment impacting on participation outcomes.[Timepoint 1: Week 0 (pre‐intervention), 2: Week 24 (post‐intervention)‐primary timepoint and 3(12 months post completion of intervention)] Life habits: The Assessment of life habits (LIFE‐H) is a questionnaire that is used to collect information on all life habits that people carry out in their environment (home, workplace or school, neighbourhood) to ensure their survival and development in society throughout their lifetime. [Timepoint 1: Week 0 (pre‐intervention), 2: Week 24 (post‐intervention)‐primary timepoint and 3(12 months post completion of intervention)] Quality of Life outcome: Quality of Life Inventory (QOLI) provides a measure of health‐related quality of life including physical, social, emotional and work functioning.[Timepoint 1: Week 0 (pre‐intervention), 2: Week 24 (post‐intervention)‐primary timepoint and 3(12 months post completion of intervention)]