A creative strengths-based post-school transition project for young adults on the autism spectrum

Abstract

The empirical evidence on the evaluation of programs for the post-school transition to university for youth on the autism spectrum remains scarce. Super Conductor and the Big Game Orchestra was a strengths-based creative technologies pilot project designed to establish a new transition pathway model for young people on the autism spectrum from secondary school to university study. This chapter will report on findings that explain how the strengths-based project supported transition to university for young people on the spectrum. Youth on the spectrum perceived the overall creative project as an enjoyable experience stimulating their interest in university study. The findings inform practical supports for transition to university and give examples of how creative mentors can be involved in transition projects. The chapter also illustrates how the mentors developed an understanding of the deep insights into the learning preferences, social challenges, anxieties, and coping strategies of people on the spectrum. The discussion indicates the potential of digital creative arts programs to provide an innovative strengths-based model of post-school transition for young people on the autism spectrum.