Helping High School-Aged Military Dependents With Autism Gain Employment Through Project SEARCH + ASD Supports.

Abstract

Youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face high rates of unemployment, with unique challenges for military-dependent and -connected youth with ASD. This paper reports preliminary findings from Year One of a randomized waitlist controlled trial investigating the efficacy of the Project SEARCH + ASD Supports (PS+ASD) intervention model for military-dependent and -connected youth with ASD. Treatment group participants (n=6) participated in internships at a military installation in the southeastern United States; waitlist group participants (n=8) received special education transition services at their local high schools. Employment outcome data were collected at 12months for both groups. Fourteen unique internship experiences were developed across seven business partner organizations on the military installation during Year One. Five of six PS+ASD treatment group participants obtained competitive integrated employment for an overall employment rate of 83.3%. Four of the positions were federal jobs. None of the waitlist group participants obtained competitive integrated employment during the same period. Initial results are promising and suggest that the PS+ASD model may help to meet the transition needs of military-dependent and -connected youth with ASD and the employment needs of local military communities.