High School SUCCESS: Vocational Soft Skills Program for Transition-Age ASD Youth

By utilizing community-based participatory research methods, this research was conducted in collaboration with the community through our partnership of researchers, educators, providers and consumers (Active Collaborative Hub for Individuals with ASD to Enhance Vocation and Education- ACHIEVE) to adapt a vocational soft skills program, Supported, Comprehensive Cognitive Enhancement & Social Skills (SUCCESS), for Transition Age Youth (TAY). The first step (years 1-2) involved adapting the intervention for autistic TAY by including feedback from multiple stakeholders and developing a curriculum to be implemented in both High Schools and Transition programs for the specific needs of autistic TAY and alpha piloting it. It involved understanding further the educational context for TAY students and current services available to prepare students for secondary outcomes of employment and/or college through a county wide survey. Step 2 (years 2-3) included pilot testing the feasibility, acceptability, implementation procedures and initial youth outcomes of the TAY SUCCESS intervention and further refining the curriculum and protocols. Findings demonstrated improvements in executive functioning and social functioning targets as well as distal outcomes of self-efficacy, mental health, educational and work behaviors and attitudes. The study results were disseminated through the ACHIEVE group as well as at conferences, website and publication.