Participation in Social and Leisure Activities After High School for Autistic Young Adults

Abstract

The transition out of high school brings a myriad of changes including shifts in contexts that impact social and community participation. Previous research indicates that this transition results in disparate social and communication outcomes for autistic young adults compared to their peers. This study includes 170 young adults with autism who participated in follow-up data collection after graduating from U.S. high schools that had participated in a large intervention study. We gathered data from autistic young adults and their parents on social and leisure activity participation, satisfaction, and barriers. We examined data descriptively and looked at differences between sub-groups and changes over time. Results suggest that most autistic young adults are engaged in social activities. There are some differences based on high school programming but no significant differences across gender sub-groups. Research and practice implications are discussed.