Brief Report: What Happens After School? Exploring Post-school Outcomes for a Group of Autistic and Non-autistic Australian Youth.
Leaving school is both scary and empowering for autistic youth, so transition plans should honor the stress and the growth.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Hamama et al. (2021) talked with autistic and non-autistic Australian youth after they left school. They asked how life felt now that classes, teachers, and daily routines were gone.
The team used open interviews. They wanted the graduates' own words about worry, hope, and identity.
What they found
Graduates said the jump from school was scary. They felt lost without the old structure.
At the same time, many called the move a proud milestone. Leaving school helped them see who they wanted to become.
How this fits with other research
Nuske et al. (2019) reviewed 27 studies and also found that post-school change spikes anxiety. Their work adds more detail on why: social pressure and lost supports.
Gandhi et al. (2022) looked at autistic Australians aged 25-65 and saw poor jobs, housing, and friendships. That sounds worse than the mixed feelings L et al. report. The gap is about age and method: L et al. captured fresh, first-person views, while A et al. counted long-term adult outcomes.
Ridgway et al. (2024) surveyed autistic youth and found lower wellbeing and more negative mood than peers. Their numbers back up the anxiety side of L et al.'s story, but L et al. also bring in the hopeful identity piece that surveys can miss.
Why it matters
When you plan a transition program, fold in both truths: students will grieve the loss of structure and will also feel pride in moving on. Build small, safe choices so they can test new roles while keeping some daily predictability. Ask, "What excites and scares you about next month?" and write both answers into the plan.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
More young people with a diagnosis of autism are enrolling and successfully completing higher education courses than ever before and this is set to increase; however, while there is a burgeoning body of literature surrounding the transition into this stage of education, there is a paucity of research that investigates the transition as this population exit higher education. This exploratory qualitative study is one of the first to identify the specific experiences of young autistic adults making this transition, drawing on semi-structured interviews with 21 students and recent graduates. Findings indicate that transition out of higher education is challenging on both practical and psychological levels, manifested by feelings of anxiety and loss. However, there is also evidence that the same phenomenon can also be understood as a positive departure with important implications for identity development. Findings are discussed in relation to future research and implications for practice in higher education institutions.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2021 · doi:10.1177/1362361318822498