SPARK for Autism

Topic: Teens and young adults

The road to adulthood can be interesting, fun, and difficult. But the teen years and transition to adulthood can be even more challenging for autistic teens and young adults. The articles and webinars listed below describe what researchers are learning about this age group — from puberty to education to friendship to finding employment.

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Employment and ASD: Preparing for the World of Work

In this webinar, Ernst VanBergeijk, a professor at Lesley University, discusses employment and job trends for people with autism, skills that help individuals with autism gain and retain jobs and how employers and co-workers can create an autism-friendly workplace. This webinar is 60 minutes long.

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Helping Students with Autism Navigate Back-to-School Time

Returning to school after summer vacation can be hard for any child. For a student with autism, this time of year can be especially stressful. Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have trouble adjusting to change. In fact, “insistence on sameness” and “difficulties with transition” are symptoms of ASD. A new classroom, schedule, teachers, classmates, or new school can trigger distress far beyond the typical back-to-school blues.

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Teens and Screens: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Cheryl Cohen discusses the latest research on how teens with ASD use technology in their day-to-day lives. She also talks about the barriers teens with autism encounter using the Web and parents’ concerns about online safety and screen time. Her discussion also includes an update on various technology careers for individuals with autism.

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Meet Pam Kattouf

Pam Kattouf and her family want to accelerate research to discover better treatments for people with autism. They know that the more people that participate, the better research can be, and hope that many more will join SPARK.

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