Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities

Transition planning is an essential component of preparing transition-aged youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to plan for and attain their postsecondary goals. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires transition planning to include transition services, including instruction, related services, community experiences, development of employment and other post-school adult living objectives, and if appropriate, the acquisition of daily living skills and provision of a functional vocational evaluation. Understanding how youth with IDD, their parents, and their special educators select transition services can facilitate a more holistic understanding of transition planning including identifying which services may be most beneficial. The research team completed individual interviews with 18 participants including youth with IDD, their parents, and their special educators (i.e., six youth–parent–teacher triads). Overall, youth and parents reported limited involvement in selecting transition services. Across participants, facilitators to involvement included parent knowledge, perceptions of youth attributes, and programmatic characteristics, such as transportation. Participants varied in what they found to be the most beneficial transition service in the transition to adulthood. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Autistic transition-age young adults (TAY; 18–26) and their families often encounter fragmented adult services following high school exit. Caregivers frequently assume primary advocacy roles yet report high strain and limited guidance. Guided by Design-Based Implementation Research (DBIR), this study adapted and piloted Transitioning Together (TT), an evidence-based family psychoeducation program, for local implementation. Phase 1 involved stakeholder-informed service gaps and adaptation of TT to create Spartan Transitioning Together (STT), expanding eligibility to age 26 and incorporating housing, community engagement, lifelong learning, self-care, and localized resources. Phase 2 piloted STT with nine caregivers across two cohorts. Implementation outcomes, caregiver clinical outcomes, and parent-reported transition engagement were assessed using pre–post measures and effect sizes. Attendance and retention were 100%, satisfaction was high (M = 4.57–4.82/5), and fidelity exceeded 90%. All caregiver clinical outcomes improved with large effect sizes (d = 0.80–3.27). Significant improvements were observed in employment, independent living, leisure, and communication activities, with smaller gains in college preparation and service engagement.

This study investigates the experiences and perspectives of Sikh caregivers of autistic children with respect to cultural awareness and educational support. Existing literature indicates that caregivers of autistic children already face systemic barriers in accessing appropriate services, and that for minoritized populations is often compounded. Data from a survey (n = 113) and focus groups (n = 11) in this study reveal a significant gap in autism knowledge between Sikh caregivers own beliefs and those that they perceive to be held broadly by the Sikh community. The results echo previous similar diaspora-related research, highlighting persistent cultural stigma and misconceptions surrounding autism, as well as language barriers and a lack of culturally relevant community resources. These challenges often hinder caregivers’ access to support services. This study underscores the need for cultural competence in educational practices and increased community awareness to foster understanding and improve support for autistic individuals and their caregivers within the Sikh community.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience differences in social communication skills which are reflected in their interactions with others, including family members. Family-based interventions can support interactions and improve developmental outcomes. Using a person-based approach, we obtained feedback and perspectives from family members’ related to the Speak, Play & Listen intervention—an online, family-mediated intervention to support social communication development for children with ASD. The Speak, Play & Listen intervention uses a cascading model where a researcher supports the parent who then trains and coaches siblings without ASD during play with their sibling with ASD. We conducted a formative qualitative research study to improve and refine the Speak, Play & Listen intervention using four focus groups to obtain feedback. Focus groups included parents of children with ASD (two groups; N = 14), as well as siblings without ASD ages 13 to 17 (one group; N = 7) and ages 18 to 21 (one group; N = 9). Results included parent and sibling perceptions related to positive features, benefits, and potential challenges of the intervention, as well as suggestions to improve the intervention.

Contemporary evidence-based decision frameworks recommend that educational practice integrate strategies supported by scientific evidence, with data to demonstrate individual effectiveness, and consumer perspectives. While large-scale reviews like the National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence and Practice (NCAEP) identify empirically supported strategies, social validation can help us understand if practices align with consumer values. We conducted a secondary analysis of studies included in the NCAEP technical report to examine researchers’ use of social validation measures across the autism intervention literature. Results indicated 27.89% of studies included social validity, with researchers predominantly relying on subjective rather than objective measures. Caregivers were the primary informants in early childhood studies, and autistic individuals predominantly assessed social validity in adolescent and young adult studies. Furthermore, fewer than half of these assessments evaluated the full social validity construct, which encompasses intervention goals, procedures, and outcomes. These findings offer opportunities for improving social validation practices in autism research.

It is important for practitioners supporting multilingual homes to model language development strategies for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Long-held views recommend children with ASD struggling with communication skills in multilingual homes learn solely in the region's dominant language. However, current research shows that language acquisition in the home language benefits the child. Ignoring the home language diminishes its value and utilization in the child's language development, creating a disconnect between these individuals and the family and community. This article describes how practitioners can implement and model three research-based strategies for parents or caregivers, building on each other or used in isolation, to use in a natural environment, through examples in a Spanish-speaking household: (a) joint attention, (b) parallel talk, and (c) modeling and expanding.