Pinder-Amaker Stephanie
From Harvard Medical School; Department of Psychology, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA.
Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2014 Mar-Apr;22(2):125-37. doi: 10.1097/HRP.0000000000000032.
The number of students entering college with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) is expected to surge in coming years. The diagnostic features and psychiatric risks of ASD, coupled with the transitions and stresses that define college life, present extraordinary challenges for these students, their parents, and institutions of higher education. This article applies a bioecological framework for conceptualizing the systemic strengths and barriers at the secondary and postsecondary levels of education in supporting students with ASD. This theoretical orientation is used to illustrate the importance of offering services and programs in a more coordinated and fluid manner within and between systems to support students more effectively. Evidence-based programs, practices, and interventions associated with successful academic and mental health outcomes for youth and young adults with ASD, as well as for college students with mental health and other challenges, are reviewed for their applicability to the target population. It is proposed that more fluid transitions and improved mental health and academic outcomes for college students with ASD can be achieved by integrating elements from secondary and postsecondary educational systems and also from existing, effective approaches with youth and young adults. Building upon the disjointed, but promising, evidence from youth, young adult, and college mental health literatures, recommendations for developing more effective transition plans for students with ASD are proposed.
预计在未来几年，患有高功能自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的大学生人数将激增。ASD的诊断特征和精神风险，再加上大学生活中典型的转变和压力，给这些学生、他们的父母以及高等教育机构带来了巨大挑战。本文运用生物生态框架，来概念化中学和高等教育阶段在支持ASD学生方面的系统优势和障碍。这种理论取向用于说明在系统内部和系统之间以更协调、灵活的方式提供服务和项目对于更有效地支持学生的重要性。本文回顾了与患有ASD的青少年和青年以及有心理健康和其他挑战的大学生成功的学业和心理健康成果相关的循证项目、实践和干预措施，以评估其对目标人群的适用性。研究认为，通过整合中学和高等教育系统的要素以及现有的针对青少年和青年的有效方法，可以实现患有ASD的大学生更灵活的过渡以及更好的心理健康和学业成果。基于青少年、青年和大学心理健康文献中不连贯但有前景的证据，本文提出了为患有ASD的学生制定更有效过渡计划的建议。
