Acceptance, Social Preparation, and Psychoeducation: Autistic Young Adults’ Recommendations for Transition to Adulthood

This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. one author of this publication is identified as autistic in the project.

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Wolpe, S., Lee, M., Koenig, J., Tien, I. S., & McLean, K. (2025). Acceptance, Social Preparation, and Psychoeducation: Autistic Young Adults’ Recommendations for Transition to Adulthood. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-025-07041-1

Publication date: 30 Sep 2025 Added to AutiHub: 17 Sep 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) Full text OpenAlex source

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Authors

Publication authors
5
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 5 (20.0%)
  1. Samara Wolpe
  2. Maxwell Lee
  3. Jamie Koenig
  4. Ingrid S. Tien *
  5. Kiley McLean

Abstract

Abstract Background Little research has explored the experiences of autistic adults retroactively recalling the preparation they did (or did not) receive for adulthood. The current study explores autistic young adults’ experiences transitioning into the responsibilities and challenges of adulthood through semi-structured interviews. Methods Seventeen autistic adults were interviewed (M age =26.7 years). Themes related to preparation for transitioning into adulthood from high schools and families were analyzed. Data analysis was conducted through the theoretical frameworks of the Social Model of Disability (Oliver, 1990) and Transition Theory (Schlossberg, 1981). Reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2024a, b) was used. Results Participants relayed Constructive Experiences surrounding Study Strategies, Mentorship, and Learning Life Skills in preparing them self-sufficiency in adulthood, the Destructive Experiences of Discouragement and Insults from people in positions of authority and forced Suppression of their authentic selves. Participants recalled being Underestimated and Infantilized. Participants suggested that high schools offer specific Social Preparation, emphasizing Study Skills and Family Involvement in transition preparation, and offering Psychoeducation to families. Lastly, participants suggested that families practice Understanding, Acceptance, Honesty, and offer Support for Executive Functioning. Conclusion This work builds on prior research of autistic individuals’ experiences by primarily focusing on preparation for employment and postsecondary education, in addition to providing primarily recommendations for how preparation services can be improved. The results from this study provide guidance on next steps for improving transition-related resources for autistic teens, families, and high schools in preparing for this critical next stage in life.

Bibliography cited by this reference

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Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 19 Sep 2026 01:01.

Cited references
42
With a DOI
41
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
1
3 / 42 (7.1%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
1 / 42 (2.4%)
References with detected author names
41 / 42 (97.6%)
Without detected author names
1
Without a structured title
1
Without a stable identifier
1
References with raw author names still to review
1
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
199
From DOI or external metadata
199
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
1
79 / 199 (39.7%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 120 / 199 (60.3%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
9 / 199 (4.5%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 9 / 79 (11.4%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 8 / 169 (4.7%).
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