title: Transition to community by adolescents with Asperger syndrome: staying afloat in a sea change.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Transition to community (TC) is the movement out of secondary school to independent living or higher education. It is challenging for young people who have typical neurodevelopment and daunting for those who have neurodevelopmental characteristics associated with Asperger syndrome (AS).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This grounded theory study describes the phenomenon of transition to community among adolescents and young adults with AS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Audiotaped interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using constant comparison to explore the socially constructed phenomenon of TC. Our sample comprised 36 participants from four groups deemed central to the phenomenon including: individuals with AS age 18-22 years (N = 13), parents (n = 13); and five each of educators and potential employers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The core psychosocial problem of TC is to stay afloat while feeling "adrift." This problem was experienced by the individual with AS, and parents and others were observers and facilitators. Adolescents, with the support of parents, teachers and sympathetic employers solved this problem by using three psychosocial processes of structuring, anchoring, and embarking.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clinicians who work with this population, potential employers, and educators are stakeholders who can apply our findings to the development of effective and personalized transition services. Findings from our study are grounded in the experiences of participants, and therefore, have explicit practical value. The conceptual model of TC can be used by health care providers, educators, employers and parents to guide adolescents as they transition to community.
authors.affiliation: Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions, 1505 Race Street, Bellet/526, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA. imlng@aol.com
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Giarelli
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fisher
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D020817:Asperger Syndrome / Q000523:psychology; D004493:Education; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living / Q000523:psychology; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012944:Social Support; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult