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Parent Expectations and Preparatory Activities as Adolescents with ASD Transition to Adulthood

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Abstract

Community stakeholders, researchers, and providers are increasingly focused on individual, family, and systemic factors that contribute to positive outcomes for adults on the autism spectrum. Parent expectations for their youth’s future are associated with adult outcomes (e.g., employment, school success, independence), yet the mechanism for this effect remains unclear. This study investigated how expectations were related to parent transition-related activities in a sample of 298 parents of adolescents on the autism spectrum (48% female adolescents), stratified by parent-reported IQ (average or above, borderline, or below 70). Parent expectations for the future predicted engagement in some activities intended to enhance adult outcomes when controlling for IQ, gender, age, and household income. The results have implications for how providers discuss expectations and support families in preparing for adulthood.

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Notes

  1. Please note that a subset of participants (n = 198) have been described in previous research on parent–child sexuality communication [Blinded for review].

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Acknowledgments

Anne V. Kirby’s research efforts were supported by the University of Utah Program in Personalized Health and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number KL2TR001065. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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Author notes

  1. Laura G. Holmes

    Present address: Center for Autism Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 2716 South Street, 5th Floor, Office 5192, Philadelphia, PA, 19146, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Utah, 380 South 1530 East BEHS 502, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA

    Laura G. Holmes, Donald S. Strassberg & Michael B. Himle

  2. Department of Occupational and Recreational Therapies, University of Utah, 520 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, UT, 84108, USA

    Anne V. Kirby

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  1. Laura G. Holmes
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Contributions

LGH conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination, recruited participants, performed the statistical analyses, and drafted the manuscript. AVK conceived of the study, performed and interpreted statistical analyses, and drafted the manuscript. MBH and DSS participated in study design and coordination, recruitment of participants, and helped to draft the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Laura G. Holmes.

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Holmes, L.G., Kirby, A.V., Strassberg, D.S. et al. Parent Expectations and Preparatory Activities as Adolescents with ASD Transition to Adulthood. J Autism Dev Disord 48, 2925–2937 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3545-6

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