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

Holmes, Laura Graham; Kirby, Anne V.; Strassberg, Donald S.; Himle, Michael B.

doi:10.1007/s10803-018-3545-6

Cited by 40 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…The expectancy–value theory of achievement motivation (Eccles & Wigfield, 2002) links expectations and decision-making, which provides theoretical support for our hypothesis. The research our team has published since conducting this study also lends additional support to this hypothesis, wherein, we identified parent expectations as significant predictors of transition preparation activities in a sample of 298 parents of youth with ASD (Holmes et al, 2018). Specifically, we found that financial independence expectations predicted talking about jobs, and independent living expectations predicted assigning chores and enrollment in adult skills classes (Holmes et al, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

The Formation of Postsecondary Expectations Among Parents of Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Kirby

Bagatell

Baranek

2019

Focus Autism Other Dev Disabl

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Research suggests higher parent expectations can predict more independent outcomes of youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), yet little is known about how parents’ expectations are formed. To gain an understanding of their formation, we conducted semi-structured interviews with seven parents of adolescents with ASD. Three main types of influences on parent expectations were identified: factors related to the youth, to the parent, and to social and societal forces external to the family. Although not directly probed, all of the participants also discussed their approaches to planning for the future, suggesting a connection with their expectations. These findings contribute to a growing body of literature on the role of parent expectations during the transition to adulthood. Future research and clinical practice implications include designing interventions aimed at expanding parent expectations in addition to approaches directly preparing youth with ASD for adulthood as a means to improve outcomes.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

The Formation of Postsecondary Expectations Among Parents of Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Kirby

Bagatell

Baranek

2019

Focus Autism Other Dev Disabl

Self Cite

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“…For example, Kirby (2016) identified parent expectations for autistic youth as a significant mediator of transition outcomes. Evidence suggests that parents with higher expectations raise autistic youth who engage in more transition preparation activities (Holmes et al, 2018) and ultimately achieve more independent outcomes in adulthood (Kirby, 2016). Thus, it is important to understand parent perspectives and consider how they can best support the transition process to promote better outcomes for autistic adults.…”

Section: Introduction and Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parent-identified strengths of autistic youth

Warren

Eatchel

Kirby

et al. 2020

Autism

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There is a need for strengths-based intervention approaches for autistic youth during the transition to adulthood. In the current study, we explored parent perspectives about youth strengths during adolescence. We combined data from three studies which included semi-structured interviews about parents’ perspectives on preparing for adulthood with autistic youth. Total participants included 39 parents of 41 autistic youth (ages 12–19 years, 88% male). Parents of autistic youth described many strengths of their children in the context of conversations about the transition to adulthood. Thematic analysis revealed three subthemes under the broad theme of parental perceptions of strengths: diverse strengths and skills, strengths counterbalanced by challenges, and strengths with supports. Diverse strengths and skills were further categorized using content analysis and included intelligence, creativity, physical abilities, and self-care skills, which notably include some areas often perceived as weaknesses for autistic people. The findings demonstrate that parents are an important source of information about youth strengths during transition planning processes. Understanding the types of strengths that parents observe in their autistic sons and daughters can help inform the development of strengths-based interventions capable of supporting the transition to adulthood. Lay abstract Autism is a condition frequently characterized by social and communication challenges. Because most research focuses on understanding and reducing challenges, less is known about the strengths of autistic individuals. This is especially true of those who are transitioning into adulthood. We designed this research study to provide information about how parents perceive the strengths of their autistic adolescent children prior to the transition. We reviewed 39 parent interviews from previous research about how they prepare their autistic sons and daughters for adulthood. Without prompting, parents identified many strengths of their autistic children. Diverse strengths and skills they identified included intelligence, creativity, physical abilities, and self-care skills. These strengths are interesting, as they cover traits that are often thought of as areas of difficulty for autistic youth. However, parents also talked about strengths alongside challenges, and how specific supports would be needed to help their sons and daughters fully realize their strengths. These findings are important, as they help us know more about the strengths of autistic youth and how strengths can be supported when preparing for adulthood. Our findings also help reveal strengths that are particularly apparent during the transition to adulthood.

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“…Kirby's finding highlights the importance of further exploring parental expectations; the association between parental expectations and youth's outcomes appears complex. To explore the relationship between parents' expectations and youth's outcomes, Holmes, Kirby, Strassberg, and Himle (2018) conducted a study regarding potential predictors of parents' expectations for their autistic adolescent's adult life, as well as whether parents' expectations predicted the family's engagement in certain transition preparation activities. Their findings suggest that youth factors such as ASD severity, IQ, and gender could predict parents' expectations.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Parents’ future visions for their autistic transition-age youth: Hopes and expectations

Chen

Cohn

Orsmond

2018

Autism

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Researchers have documented that young adults with autism spectrum disorder have poor outcomes in employment, post-secondary education, social participation, independent living, and community participation. There is a need to further explore contributing factors to such outcomes to better support successful transitions to adulthood. Parents play a critical role in transition planning, and parental expectations appear to impact young adult outcomes for autistic individuals. The aim of this study was to explore how parents express their future visions (i.e. hopes and expectations) for their autistic transition-age youth. Data were collected through focus groups and individual interviews with 18 parents. Parents’ hopes and expectations focused on eight primary domains. In addition, parents often qualified or tempered their stated hope with expressions of fears, uncertainty, realistic expectations, and the perceived lack of guidance. We discuss our conceptualization of the relations among these themes and implications for service providers and research.

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

Cited by 40 publications

References 47 publications

The Formation of Postsecondary Expectations Among Parents of Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder

The Formation of Postsecondary Expectations Among Parents of Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Parent-identified strengths of autistic youth

Parents’ future visions for their autistic transition-age youth: Hopes and expectations

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