Supporting Effective Transitions From University to Post-graduation for Autistic Students.

BACKGROUND: The number of autistic students graduating is increasing; however, little is known regarding their transition out of university. Understanding this transition is particularly pertinent with regard to the employment of autistic graduates. It is vital that we understand autistic people's experiences of the transition and identify what support would be beneficial during this time. METHOD: Thirty-four autistic graduates from the United Kingdom took part in a mixed-methods study exploring their transition experience. Both quantitative and qualitative questions were used to obtain in-depth information concerning participants' experiences. Participants completed questions regarding their experiences and emotions in relation to the transition, the support they received for the transition, and their career and post-graduation plans. RESULTS: Participants reported high levels of fear and low preparedness for the transition. They did not feel well supported in preparing for the transition or for their future career. In the 6 months pre-graduation, 59% of participants had accessed emotion-related transition support and 70% accessed career-related support. Post-graduation, one-third accessed emotion-related or career-related support. Perspectives on this accessed support were mixed, as were transition experiences. Additional support desired included preparation for life changes, career planning, employment accessibility, and autism-specific support. Advice for future students centered on forward planning. CONCLUSION: These results highlight the importance of supporting autistic students with the transition out of university. Service provision should be tailored to autistic students' needs and support early planning for the transition.

An Evaluation of Specialist Mentoring for University Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Mental Health Conditions.

Mentoring is often recommended to universities as a way of supporting students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and/or mental health conditions (MHC), but there is little literature on optimising this support. We used mixed-methods to evaluate mentees' and mentors' experiences of a specialist mentoring programme. Mentees experienced academic, social and emotional support, although subtle group differences emerged between students with ASD and MHC. The quality of the mentee-mentor relationship was especially important. Mentors also reported benefits. Thematic analysis identified that effective mentoring requires a tailored partnership, which involves a personal relationship, empowerment, and building bridges into the university experience. Mentoring can effectively support students with ASD and/or MHC, but this is highly dependent on the development of tailored mentee-mentor partnerships.

'Living with Teenagers': feasibility study of a peer-led parenting intervention for socially disadvantaged families with adolescent children.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and test the feasibility of a peer-led parenting intervention for parents of adolescent children. DESIGN: Formative evaluation using a mixed-method cohort design. SETTING: Socially deprived community sites in London, UK. PARTICIPANTS: Parents seeking help with managing behavioural difficulties of an index adolescent child (aged 11-17 years). INTERVENTION: A structured, group-based intervention ('Living with Teenagers') delivered by trained peer facilitators. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We assessed feasibility in terms of uptake and completion rates (% parents completing ≥5 sessions); social validity (assessed by service satisfaction measure and participant interviews); and potential for impact (assessed by parent-reported measures of adolescent behaviour and mental health, parenting satisfaction, expressed emotion, and disciplinary practices). RESULTS: Participants (n=41) were predominately (79%) from minority ethnic backgrounds and nearly half were lone parents. Most had not previously accessed a structured parenting programme. The completion rate was 71%. Significant changes (p<0.05) were observed in reduced parental concern about adolescent problems, increased parenting satisfaction and less negative expressed emotion. There were non-significant changes in disciplinary practices and adolescent mental health. Participants were highly satisfied with their service experience and endorsed the acceptability of the intervention's content, materials and peer-led format, while suggesting an expanded number of sessions and more skills practice and demonstrations. CONCLUSIONS: Peer-led parenting groups are feasible and potentially effective for supporting parents of adolescents living in socially disadvantaged communities. These findings warrant more rigorous testing under controlled conditions.