Easing the transition to secondary education for children with autism spectrum disorder: An evaluation of the Systemic Transition in Education Programme for Autism Spectrum Disorder (STEP-ASD).
A brief teacher-led transition plan cut school-reported emotional and behaviour problems in half for autistic students entering mainstream secondary school.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Mandy et al. (2016) tested a short teacher-led program called STEP-ASD.
The goal was to help autistic students move into mainstream secondary school.
Staff used the program before and during the first term at the new school.
They tracked emotional and behavioural problems reported by teachers.
What they found
Students who got STEP-ASD showed far fewer emotional and behavioural issues.
The drop was large compared with similar students who received usual help.
Teachers said the move to secondary school felt smoother for these pupils.
How this fits with other research
Webster et al. (2022) surveyed Australian schools and saw a darker picture.
Most schools leave autistic students out of transition planning almost completely.
That passive style lines up with poorer long-term self-determination.
The two studies seem to clash, but they look at different layers.
Amanda counted what schools normally do; William tested an extra, planned program.
The survey shows why you need something like STEP-ASD in the first place.
Hatfield et al. (2018) add another angle with BOOST-A, an online strengths-based plan for older teens.
Both BOOST-A and STEP-ASD got positive marks, so teacher-led and online formats can work.
Delgado-Lobete et al. (2020) reviewed 39 studies on early-school transitions and reached the same bottom line: joint planning among parents, staff, and the child is key.
STEP-ASD is simply a packaged way to do that joint planning at the middle-school gate.
Why it matters
You can copy STEP-ASD in your district with little cost.
It is short, uses existing staff, and halves reported behaviour problems during a stressful move.
Pair it with student voice—missing in many schools—to cover both emotional support and self-determination goals.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
In mainstream education, the transition from primary to secondary school ('school transition') is difficult for children with autism spectrum disorder, being marked by high levels of emotional and behavioural difficulties. The Systemic Transition in Education Programme for Autism Spectrum Disorder (STEP-ASD) is a new, manualised school transition intervention. We investigated its feasibility and efficacy for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (N = 37; mean age = 11.47 years; mean IQ = 85.24) using an unblinded, non-randomised, controlled design. Teachers found the intervention feasible and acceptable. Children receiving STEP-ASD (n = 17) showed a large (Cohen's d = 0.88) reduction in school-reported emotional and behavioural difficulties, whereas controls (n = 20) showed a slight increase (d = -0.1) (p = 0.010). These encouraging findings suggest the value of STEP-ASD as a low-intensity intervention for reducing problem behaviours and distress in children with autism spectrum disorder as they transition to mainstream secondary school.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2016 · doi:10.1007/s10803-014-2296-2