Exploring the factors relating to transition to adulthood for adolescents with autism spectrum disorders in Hong Kong and Singapore

Leaving high school and transiting to adulthood can be particularly difficult for many adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). As defined by Hendricks et al (2009), transitions to adulthood is defined as to include education, employment, and community living and community integration. A review of literature related to the transition from school to adulthood for adolescents with ASD in the context of Asian settings have been limited. Therefore, this article mainly focus on exploring the teachers or school personnel’s beliefs in the factors relating to the transition success (e.g. residential placement, job opportunity, socialization and quality of life) for adolescents with ASD. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted to find out their perspectives. The interviews will be transcribed and being coded. The themes will be analyzed under the theme of individual, as well as environment and culture factors relating to transition success for adolescents with ASD. This article will fill in the literature gap by exploring the transition service for adolescents with ASD in Asian settings, as well as providing insights on how to build up a more effective service delivery practices for the future.