A systematic review of social participation for adults with autism spectrum disorders: Support, social functioning, and quality of life

Tobin, Megan Colleen; Drager, Kathryn; Richardson, Laura

doi:10.1016/j.rasd.2013.12.002

Cited by 185 publications

(146 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…The scarcity of relationships led to high levels of loneliness and is in accordance with the finding that individuals with ASD develop heightened awareness of social isolation throughout adolescence and (young) adulthood (e.g., Mazurek, 2014;Tobin et al, 2014;Whitehouse, Durkin, Jaquet, & Ziatas, 2009). Our study also confirms that informal support from families, friends and acquaintances is an important factor in relieving feelings of isolation and loneliness (Tobin et al, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Students realized how important having a social network is in order to feel a sense of belonging. This clear need for meaningful friendships and relationships is in line with research outcome that many adults with ASD desire social contacts (Tobin, Drager, & Richardson, 2014), and confirms the suggestion that the desire for social relations increases in many young adults with ASD (McGovern & Sigman, 2005). The awareness of their social difficulties, the fear of saying the wrong things, and the need to recover from additional stressors and distress all had a negative impact on students'…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Higher Education Experiences of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Challenges, Benefits and Support Needs

Hees

Moyson

Roeyers

2014

J Autism Dev Disord

260

323

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The transition into higher education constitutes a precarious life stage for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Research on how students with ASD navigate college life is needed for the development of adequate support. This study investigated the challenges and support needs of 23 students with ASD in higher education through semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed following the principles of Grounded Theory. Students faced difficulties with new situations and unexpected changes, social relationships, problems with information processing and time management and had doubts about disclosure. Facing these challenges simultaneously in the domains of education, student life and daily (independent) living, had a major impact on students' well being. Besides these challenges, students also reported benefits that contributed to success in the three domains. They pointed out to a set of recommendations for support. These findings are linked with previous research and implications for higher education institutions are extrapolated on the basis of these findings.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Higher Education Experiences of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Challenges, Benefits and Support Needs

Hees

Moyson

Roeyers

2014

J Autism Dev Disord

260

323

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…general cognitive functions (Loukusa & Moilanen, 2009;Tobin, Drager, & Richardson, 2014). Even subtle social difficulties may have negative long-term impact on a person's wellbeing, and it is therefore important to recognise the difficulties high-functioning individuals with ASD experience, and develop ways of supporting these individuals (Hanley et al, 2015;Tobin et al, 2014).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Even subtle social difficulties may have negative long-term impact on a person's wellbeing, and it is therefore important to recognise the difficulties high-functioning individuals with ASD experience, and develop ways of supporting these individuals (Hanley et al, 2015;Tobin et al, 2014). Eye tracking methods provide the possibility to directly assess how highfunctioning individuals with ASD watch social interactions, and may help bridge commonly occurring gaps between evaluation outcomes and real-world manifestations of the disorder (Guillon, Hadjikhani, Baduel, & Rogé, 2014;Hanley et al, 2015).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

How Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder Watch and Interpret Pragmatically Complex Scenes

Lönnqvist

Loukusa

Hurtig

et al. 2017

Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology

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The aim of the current study was to investigate subtle characteristics of social perception and interpretation in high-functioning individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), and to study the relation between watching and interpreting. As a novelty, we used an approach that combined moment-by-moment eye tracking and verbal assessment. Sixteen young adults with ASD and 16 neurotypical control participants watched a video depicting a complex communication situation while their eye movements were tracked. The participants also completed a verbal task with questions related to the pragmatic content of the video. We compared verbal task scores and eye movements between groups, and assessed correlations between task performance and eye movements. Individuals with ASD had more difficulty than the controls in interpreting the video, and during two short moments there were significant group differences in eye movements. Additionally, we found significant correlations between verbal task scores and moment-level eye movement in the ASD group, but not among the controls. We concluded that participants with ASD had slight difficulties in understanding the pragmatic content of the video stimulus and attending to social cues, and that the connection between pragmatic understanding and eye movements was more pronounced for participants with ASD than for neurotypical participants.

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“…For example, some research has emphasised the importance of social support, mentoring, vocational opportunities and successful outcomes during the transition to adulthood (Tobin, Drager & Richardson 2014). Chappel and Somers (2010) propose that school systems and their vocational rehabilitation partners need to make a commitment to work together to provide a comprehensive transition plan for students with ASD.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leveraging 3D Technology for Students with Autism: An innovative university-community collaboration for skill development and vocational exploration

Wright

Diener

et al. 2017

Gateways

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This article describes a university-community collaboration in which an inter-professional team partnered to provide students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) a paid job opportunity to apply 3D modelling skills for a local construction company. Providing meaningful vocational opportunities to improve the transition to adulthood for individuals with ASD is imperative, as individuals with ASD have unemployment rates that are some of the highest of all disabilities. This novel evidence-supported educational program was designed to develop 3D technology skills, explore vocational careers and promote social engagement through shared interests for transition-age youth with ASD. Both parents and students reported many successful outcomes, including increase in student self-confidence, social and technology skill development and the opportunity for vocational exploration by these young people. Implications of the case study are reported in relation to university-community partnerships and the critical role of community collaboration in addressing the high rates of unemployment in individuals with autism.

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A systematic review of social participation for adults with autism spectrum disorders: Support, social functioning, and quality of life

Cited by 185 publications

References 36 publications

Higher Education Experiences of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Challenges, Benefits and Support Needs

Higher Education Experiences of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Challenges, Benefits and Support Needs

How Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder Watch and Interpret Pragmatically Complex Scenes

Leveraging 3D Technology for Students with Autism: An innovative university-community collaboration for skill development and vocational exploration

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