Another door into a new world waiting to be explored’: a psycho-social investigation into the transition experiences of young adults with autism using the Grid Elaboration Method

Transition research tends to consider the experiences of ‘typically developing’ pupils and focusses on the primary to secondary school transition. Accounts that specifically focus on the views of pupils with autism also tend to rely heavily on the accounts of parents and staff. This study aimed to explore the transition experiences of young adults on the autism spectrum from the perspective of the young people themselves, having an exploratory and emancipatory purpose. Four young people with diagnoses of autism (three male, one female) aged between 18 and 22 years old, enrolled on further education training courses in two colleges in two different outer London boroughs, were recruited to the study. A qualitative methodology was used, involving a psycho-social method of data collection which comprised of individual interviews applying the free association Grid Elaboration Method (Joffe & Elsey, 2014) and thematic analysis of the data. Each participant was interviewed about their experiences of transition. Interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis following guidance from Braun and Clarke (2006). Researcher field notes were used to support the analysis. Six themes emerged from the data: Resilience, Growth and Development, Relationships, Mental Wellbeing, Agency and Understanding Difference. Strengths and limitations of the study, in addition to further applied implications of the findings for professionals working with young adults with autism, were identified. The study highlighted the importance of eliciting the views of young people with autism in order to facilitate positive transition experiences, which are likely to influence future outcomes for young people with autism.