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Study found fewer worked after high school, compared to others withdisabilities. By Jenifer Goodwin HealthDay Reporter MONDAY, May 14 (HealthDay News) -- Young adults with an autismspectrum disorder are less likely to continue their education orget a job after high school when compared to young adults withother disabilities, new research indicates. According to the study, only about 35 percent of young adults withautism attended college and only 55 percent had a job during thefirst six years after high school. Overall, they faced a greaterthan 50 percent chance of being unemployed or not attending collegewhen compared to those with other disabilities, the researchersreported. More than half of autistic young adults had no participation ineither work or education during the two years after leaving highschool, and even six years later more than one-third were withoutwork or higher education, the study found. "Many families with children with autism describe leaving highschool as falling off a cliff because of the lack of services foradults with an autism spectrum disorder," said senior study authorPaul Shattuck, an assistant professor of social work at WashingtonUniversity in St. Louis. "So much of media attention focuses onchildren. It's important for people to realize autism does notdisappear in adolescence. The majority of lifespan is spent inadulthood." Part of the reason that young adults struggle after high school isthat a core feature of the disorder is difficulty knowing how tointerpret social interactions and handle a wide variety of socialsituations, something that is a necessity in many jobs, expertssay. But researchers also note that more educational and job-relatedsupport could help people with autism -- including the wave ofchildren recently diagnosed -- who will be aging over the nextdecade as they find their place in society. "We need to find ways to make room for adults with autism in ourcommunities and help them get connected to opportunities thatpeople with other forms of disabilities are participating in,"Shattuck said. The study is published online May 14 and in the June print issue of Pediatrics . In it, researchers examined data from the National LongitudinalTransition Study 2, a nine-year study of adolescents who wereenrolled in special education because of autism, learningdisabilities, intellectual disabilities or speech and languageimpairments. Compared with youth in the three other disability categories,autistic teens and young adults had significantly lower rates ofemployment and the highest overall rates of no participation in anywork or education. For example, only 55 percent of young adults with autism had paidemployment, while 86 percent of those with a speech or languageimpairment, 94 percent of those with a learning disability and 69percent of those with mental retardation did. The education picture was a little brighter. About 35 percent ofkids with autism attended a two- or four-year college; 51 percentof those with a speech or language delay did so, while 40 percentof those with a learning disability and 18 percent of those withmental retardation did. For lower-income autistic teens and young adults, participationrates were even lower. An estimated one in 88 U.S. children has an autism spectrumdisorder, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Centers forDisease Control and Prevention. About 50,000 youths with autismwill turn 18 this year in the United States. Peter Bell, executive vice president of programs and services forAutism Speaks and the father of a young adult with autism, said thetransition to adulthood can be particularly difficult for thefamilies of children with autism. During childhood, most servicesare centered in the educational system and children are entitled toreceive a public education. In many states, special needs teens cancontinue to get some services through the schools until around age20 or 21. After that, parents have to seek help from the social servicessystem, which is more fragmented and difficult to navigate. Andyet, he added, the report is not all bleak. "I was pleasantly surprised that about 35 percent went on afterleaving high school to attend some form of college," Bell said. "Iwas told 16 years ago when my son was diagnosed that there was verylittle chance he would ever go to college. So the fact that overone-third of the autism population goes on to some form ofeducation after school should say to a lot of parents, 'Youshouldn't automatically assume your child is not going to go tocollege'." His own 19-year-old son isn't attending college, but he does workat several jobs in their town, where he is a well-known andaccepted part of the community, Bell added. More information Autism Speaks has a toolkit to help teens with autism and their families make the transitionout of high school. SOURCES: Paul Shattuck, Ph.D, assistant professor, social work,Washington University, St. Louis; Peter Bell, executive vicepresident, programs and services, Autism Speaks; June 2012 Pediatrics Copyright © 2012 HealthDay . All rights reserved. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Recycled Paper Shopping Bags , Food Packaging Boxes Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit Promotional Non Woven Bags today!
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