Social Participation Among Young Adults with an Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Investigating social participation of young adults with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is important given the increasing number of youth aging into young adulthood. Social participation is an indicator of life quality and overall functioning. Using data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2, we examined rates of participation in social activities among young adults who received special education services for autism (ASD group), compared to young adults who received special education for intellectual disability, emotional/behavioral disability, or a learning disability. Young adults with an ASD were significantly more likely to never see friends, never get called by friends, never be invited to activities, and be socially isolated. Among those with an ASD, lower conversation ability, lower functional skills, and living with parent were predictors of less social participation.

Autism Characteristics in Older Adults with Depressive Disorders

“…For example, low perceived social support, inadequacy of social activity as well as actual low social participation status, loneliness, high number of negative life events, and multi-morbidity (i.e., having more than one psychiatric diagnosis) are known vulnerability factors for developing late-life depressive symptoms 19,20 . Similar psychosocial factors are thought to be common in individuals with ASD 21,22 . For example, given the dayto-day struggles people with ASD experience with respect to relationships, education, work, and housing they might encounter more negative life events as compared to those without ASD.…”

Parent and Teacher Perspectives on Friendships and Social Interactions of Secondary Students With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

“…This indicates that students do not have friends or that the friendships they have are limited to the school context only and thus of lower quality in relation to the core defining components of transcending context and mutuality. Again, in a nationally representative sample, about 9% of secondary students with ID and almost 30% of students with autism were socially isolated (Orsmond, Shattuck, Cooper, Sterzing, & Anderson, 2013). The friendships that do occur between students with and without ASD or IDD tend to be low in quality and unilateral (Carter, Sisco, Brown, Brickham, & Al-Khabbaz, 2008;Kasari, Locke, Gulsrud, Rotheram-Fuller, 2011;Kuo, Orsmond, Cohn, & Coster, 2011).…”

Support in school and the occupational transition process : Adolescents and young adults with neuropsychiatric disabilities

“…In addition, studies show that individuals with AS continue to show significant social difficulties in adolescence and adulthood, and these have a negative influence on their work and community inclusion (Orsmond et al 2013), as well as their quality of life (Howlin & Moss, 2012). Research has shown that the transition to further education is a crucial point for young adults with neuropsychiatric disabilities.…”