Process Evaluation of the BOOST-A™ Transition Planning Program for Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum: A Strengths-Based Approach.

Researchers asked 12 autistic teens and 10 parents what they thought of BOOST-A, an online program that helps plan life after high school. The program focuses on strengths, not deficits. Kids log in, pick goals, and build a vision board for adulthood.

Interviews lasted 30–60 minutes. The team read every transcript and grouped answers into themes. They wanted to know what felt helpful, what felt hard, and what made kids actually finish the modules.

Most teens said, "I can see a future now." Parents felt the same. They liked naming strengths first, then linking those strengths to jobs or study paths. One boy said, "I’m good at drawing maps—maybe I can be a cartographer."

Success had a pattern: a teacher or parent kept cheering the teen on and sat with them for the first login. When that champion was missing, kids stalled at the welcome screen.

Lee et al. (2020) ran a strengths-based STEAM club and also heard parents rave about new confidence. Both studies show: start with strengths, and families notice quick psychosocial gains.

Krafft et al. (2019) painted the worry side—parents feel lost and scared about the future. BOOST-A gives them a concrete tool that turns those fears into a plan, filling the guidance gap the earlier paper exposed.

Vassos et al. (2023) scoping review warns the field still under-includes autistic voices. Megan et al. answer that call by letting teens speak for themselves, moving the literature forward.

You can add BOOST-A to your transition toolkit today. Use it during lunch bunch or homework club. Sit with the learner for the first module, help them list three strengths, and set one short post-school goal. The study says that tiny bit of hand-over-hand at the start is the bridge between buying a program and actually using it.