VCU Autism Center for Excellence Webcast

Transition for Youth with Autism from School to Adulthood: Critical Considerations
Date: 8/14/2012 | Time: 3:30 - 4:30 pm ET
By: Paul Wehman

An increasing number of individuals with ASD are now entering high school and transitioning to adulthood. For the student with ASD to have a successful transition to adulthood, tremendous planning and preparation is required. Transition planning must begin long before the student enters high school. This presentation will provide a brief overview of the research regarding the outcomes of adults with ASD and will discuss the primary areas of concern for this group, including employment, residential living, social interactions, and community integration. There will be special emphasis on case studies of Project SEARCH outcomes as well as the VCU-RRTC supported employment program for young adults with ASD. Dr. Wehman will discuss how to determine the student's curriculum and prioritize skills through assessment and transition planning using an ecological approach. Further, he will outline the importance of using the natural environment as the student's classroom and will discuss examples of how to do this effectively.

Register for this webcast or Register for the Series. Cost: $50. * Free to Virginia participants.

VCU-ACE is funded by the VA DOE (Grant # 881-61172 H027A100107). For additional information, contact autismcenter@vcu.edu or (855) 711-6987.

VCU ASD Career Links Webcast

Supporting Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders through a Model Public VR Program

By: James Rothrock, Joseph Ashley, Richard Kriner

Date: 8/20/2012, 2:00pm ET

In 2008, VCU-RRTC in partnership with the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services implemented the VCU ASD Career Links Grant, a federally funded research project for conducting evidence-based research on vocational rehabilitation (VR) service models for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). For VA DRS, this research has resulted in agency investment in new practices and services, as well as positive employment outcomes for persons with ASD. Virginia's emerging model program for individuals with ASD may offer a solution for VR agencies facing a surge of new clients with ASD and a lack of existing research on evidenced based strategies to improve historically bleak employment outcomes. Find out More & Register Online. Cost is $25.

This project is funded by the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Project (DRRP) grant #H133B080027 from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR).

Autism DRRP

Examing Employment Impacts of Vocational Rehabilitation Service Provision for Persons with Autism Sepctrum Disorder
By: David Dean University of Richmond

This project seeks to identify the efficacy of a specific mix of vocational rehabilitation (VR) services on the short and long-term employment-related outcomes for persons with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) while controlling for the receipt of federal disability benefits. There are three components that need to be measured to identify VR impacts for persons with ASD. The specific mix of VR services is aggregated from a veritable "laundry list" of services purchased and/or provided by a VR agency to augment an individual's labor force attachment (e.g., resume writing, job placement) and/or their human capital development (e.g., job training, post-secondary education). The proposed vocational outcomes examined are the employment probability for a given period of time and the level of earnings during that period. The federal disability benefits are Disability Insurance (DI) and/or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments made by the Social Security Administration (SSA). Read the Research to Practice Brief No. 3

This project is funded by the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Project (DRRP) grant #H133B080027 from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR).