Date of Award

2015

Degree Name

Educational Leadership

College

College of Education

Type of Degree

Ed.D.

Document Type

Dissertation

First Advisor

Michael Cunningham

Second Advisor

Marc Ellison

Third Advisor

Kimberly Ramsey

Fourth Advisor

Louis Watts

Abstract

About 1 in 68 children has been identified with Autism Spectrum Disorder and nearly half of those individuals have average to above average intelligence. A significant number of those individuals are currently earning college degrees. Regardless of the escalating prevalence rates of individuals with Asperger’s Disorder who have the intellectual capacity to obtain a college degree, there has been little attention on how to identify and provide the types of specialized supports these college graduates require as they prepare for finding and maintaining meaningful employment. The ways in which colleges are preparing students for employment must be examined to include the unique preparedness needs of college students with Asperger’s Disorder. A review of the professional literature provides a general description of the strengths and challenges for college graduates with Asperger’s Disorder related to transition to employment issues, but the information is lacking in what specific types of employment preparedness skills need to be addressed in order for this growing population of college graduates to become competitive candidates for employment. This study explored the preparedness needs for employment as expressed by college students with Asperger’s Disorder, employers of individuals with Asperger’s Disorder, and parents of individuals with Asperger’s Disorder and provided a consensus inventory of employment preparedness needs that can serve as a guide for colleges, students, parents, employers and other parties interested in understanding how to provide specialized transition to work services for individuals with Asperger’s Disorder.

Subject(s)

Asperger's syndrome - Education (Higher)

Asperger's syndrome - Employment.

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