Search form

Shop
Total: £0.00
Item Cost
Your shopping cart is empty.
Total: £0.00

Search form

Home > Services & Support > Information Resources > Supporting Transition from School to Adulthood

Supporting Transition from School to Adulthood

Transitioning from school to adulthood can be a daunting but exciting time for all young people and their families; during this time, autistic young people may benefit from additional support throughout this transition. 

Transition from school to adulthood can have many paths such as university, college, apprenticeship, work, volunteering and engaging with community.  

For some autistic young people, they may feel ready to explore further education, maintaining the routine and familiarity of an education setting. For others they may want to explore new routines within work, apprenticeship and volunteer opportunities after secondary school.  

It is important to acknowledge some autistic young people may not be ready for further education, work or volunteering at the point of leaving secondary school. Some autistic young people may have experienced challenges throughout their schooling. Therefore, for these young people they could be experiencing autistic burnout which may impact their readiness for next steps. In this instance, these young people may benefit from a period of rest, focusing on wellbeing and recovery. Young people and families at this stage may find it beneficial to reach out to our Advice Line for autism specific, well-being focused advice, support and guidance. 

Throughout this transitional time into adult life, it is important to be led by the autistic young person's voice and choice, whilst ensuring the young person feels supported.  

The following resources may be useful to find information and guidance to help you support autistic young people as they transition to adulthood, whichever path they may choose. 

  • Enquire is the Scottish advice service for additional support for learning, they can advise on the obligations that schools and the wider authority have in relation to additional support. 

    Visit their webpage about leaving school

    Salvesen Mindroom is a Scottish Charity that supports, informs, and empowers children and young people who are neurodivergent. Salvesen Mindroom have family advice and outreach specialists that can offer support through challenging times.
     

    Scottish Transitions Forum. Their aim is to improve the experiences of young people aged 14-25, who require additional support, whilst they make the transition into young adult life. With this in mind they created a document outlining “The Principles of Good Transitions”. These principles were developed recognising that young adult transitions can be particularly problematic.  

    Talking about Tomorrow is another helpful resource. This covers how to support transition planning, information on legal matters such as guardianship, as well as brief information about health and social care. 

    Independent Living Fund. The fund provides money for up to one year to support young people living with disabilities. The purpose of the fund is to help young people and adults between the ages of 16 and 25 with the transition after leaving school or children’s services. It aims to support the development of independent living skills and/or encourage and promote spending time with other people.  

 

Supporting the transition to University or College

To prepare autistic people for attending university or college, effective transitions are important. It can be important for an autistic person to be familiar with the campus, the people they will be working alongside such as lecturers, support staff and peers as well as being familiar with the course content and structure.  

It me be helpful to explore and consider the below options if available: 

Summer School  
Some universities and colleges offer  ‘Summer School’ or taster programmes that introduce young people to university/college life and helps young people familiarise themselves with the campus in the months prior to attending.  

To enquire about this further, it may be helpful to contact the university/college directly to find out if they offer this or similar experiences.  
 

Attend Open Days
It may be a good idea to attend an open day to see if the young person feels comfortable with the layout and signposting of the campus. If they cannot visit in person, there may be alternative options such as online open days or virtual tours if available. 
 

Speak with the Disability Adviser  
Autistic people can access the disability advisor within their college or university. This can be valuable, as the disability advisor will know how to best support and advise disabled students about the specifics of the campus and the course in relation to the persons needs and adjustments. They will also advise lecturers and course tutors of any support needs and adjustments and can explain where to get support if the person needs it. In addition, many campuses have ‘safe’ spaces where people can go if they feel anxious, overwhelmed or just need time out.  
 

Disabled Students Allowance  
In relation to student funding, autistic people can apply for the ‘Disabled Students Allowance’ which is a fund that supports students who are disabled or have additional learning needs such as autism. In order to apply for this, the person would need to do so via SAAS who are the ‘Student Awards Agency for Scotland’, as well as meet the eligible criteria and undergo an assessment of need.
 

Accommodations and Considerations 
Autistic people in further education may benefit from the below suggestions of accommodations and considerations:  

  • Finance - New financial arrangements may feel overwhelming so advice on budgeting for accommodation, bills and travel costs would be useful. An option may be researching budgeting apps. Support with spending student grants such as Disabled Students Allowance and student loans may also be beneficial. The National Autistic Society has an online managing money module which might be of interest.
     
  • Reasonable adjustments - These are adjustments under the Equality Act 2010 to reduce barriers that individuals with a disability may face. This could be support with communications preferences, additional time in exams and assessments, a scribe or extra use of IT equipment, separate room for exams, proof reading support. (Further adjustments can be discussed with a disability advisor) 
     
  • Environment – There will be some changes from high school, and some interactions will be less formal, so lecturers can be approached in a different way to teachers in school. Some learning may take place in large lecture theatres, so it might be beneficial to consider acoustics, sitting near the end of a row and being near an exit. Spaces like canteens and labs may increase sensory sensitivity so strategies might be worth exploring. 
     
  • Transport – Consider travel arrangements to the campus and for some this may vary depending on added stresses and sensory fluctuations. If parking close by is necessary, then the autistic person may want to speak to the college/university or apply for a Blue Badge. Some universities/colleges/local authorities will offer transport sharing.  
     
  • Organisation and planning – It can be overwhelming for all students at the beginning of further education as they get accustomed to timetables, navigating campuses and travelling. If note taking is tricky, it might be worth considering recording lectures or find out if they are available online. If navigating the campus is tricky, a map or visual support to navigate the campus might be something worth exploring, if this is something that the person needs a bit of support with. These are areas of support that can be discussed with a student disability advisor. 
     
  • Changing friendship groups – In further education, there are likely to be students from all round the world on the campus. Friendship groups are likely to be different from school although some school friendships can remain right throughout student days and adult life. There are usually lots of clubs and societies at universities and colleges, information about these are usually shared during Welcome Week, it might be that some of these clubs and societies are based on interests that bring the person joy.  
     
  • Wellbeing and balancing energy - It is important to allow time and space to keep energy levels balanced. Socialising can be draining even though it is enjoyable. Developing a self-care toolkit might help and writing down what boosts energy and what drains energy can be beneficial. This is especially important during exam times, work experience or Welcome Week. 
     
  • Further education establishments may offer peer mentoring, especially in first year to support student to settle into student life. 

 

Supporting the transition to an Apprenticeship

To prepare autistic people for accessing an apprenticeship, like with university and college, it can be important for an autistic person to have a full and clear understanding of what to expect, and to prepare for; When exploring apprenticeship options it is important for the autistic person to be leading the search again expressing their own voice and choice. When exploring options, it may be helpful to reach out to different apprenticeship providers and explore different career options that apprenticeships offer, considering their individual capacity, learning and environmental preferences.
Apprenticeship opportunities and information

Apprenticeships can be a good middle ground between continuing education and entering the work force. They allow young people to work towards a qualification whilst working within a chosen career sector day to day.  

Autistic people who choose to undertake an apprenticeship may find much of the above suggestions for further educations helpful as well as the following information and suggestions in relation to work.  

It can be helpful to find out if there will be a mentor the young person can go to, to ask questions relating to the job and apprenticeship.

Supporting the transition to Work and Volunteering

To prepare autistic people for entering the work force as an employee or volunteer, transitioning correctly is key. It can be important for an autistic person to have adjustments and considerations in place from interview stage onwards. Reasonable adjustments are adaptions that employers and service providers make to remove or reduce barriers or challenges faced by disabled people.  

When working or volunteering, for autistic people, it can also be helpful to find out about ‘unwritten rules’ of the workplace, as this can help with relationships with other members of staff, and the team as a whole. 

 

Volunteering  
Volunteering can be a good first step into the working world, this could be accessed whilst a young person is transitioning out of school and help with the transition into paid employment. Volunteering is a great way for people to develop skills, build experiences but also learn what works for them in a working environment. 

  • Volunteer Scotland offer various volunteering options that can be found on their website, searchable by local area.    
     

Employability Support  
There are many services throughout Scotland who can provide Employability support, helping people to find employment as well as to grow and develop their own skills and strengths. Each local authority has a range of employability services; there are also several support services that can help with employability to explore the below:  

  • Skills Development Scotland have a wide range of services to support people in finding the right career path and the training necessary to get there. Though this service is not Autism specific, they do have staff who are skilled and experienced at supporting and working with autistic people.

    Skills Development Scotland also support the website called ‘My World of Work’, this also offers various online resources.
     
  • No One Left Behind is a Scottish Government approach ensuring that barriers to employment are challenged. Local authorities have their own strategies within this and contact details can be found on their individual websites. 
     
  • Enable has a breaking barriers program to support available in some areas of Scotland, with regards to work/study/volunteering. 
     
  • Into Work have many years’ of experience helping disabled people and those with long-term health conditions achieve their goal of both finding and keeping a paid job. Into Work can help you find the work you’re looking for; they have helped thousands of disabled people and those with long-term health conditions across Edinburgh and Midlothian. 
     
  • Real Jobs - The Action Group is a supported employment service to help people with a learning disability, autism, a long term health condition or other support needs to find paid work. The service is funded by a variety of sources and therefore is free to use for the client and the employer.  
     
  • National Autistic Society have an online learning module on finding employment.

 

Mentoring/Coaching  
Autistic people can often benefit from Mentoring and Coaching in a work environment. Mentoring and coaching can be beneficial to building confidence, improving communication in the workplace, and providing opportunity for continuous learning. This can be something you could explore with employers or can be accessed externally such as through Access to Work. 

  • Access to Work can help once a job offer is secured. This could help with various supports such as providing funding for a work strategy coach and any equipment that may also support within the role.
     
  • Brain in Hand offer support but on a remote basis. This can help in various contexts
     

Reasonable Adjustments 

 

Autism Advice

Our usual Advice Line opening hours are Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, from 10am - 4pm (both phone line and LiveChat). It is closed on Wednesdays and at weekends.

Call 01259 222022 or 

e-mail advice@scottishautism.org

You can also use our online contact form and an advisor will be in touch in as soon as they can.

Please note that currently it might take slightly longer than normal for an advisor to respond to your enquiry.

Our support team is made up a small number of advisors, that aim to provide an individualised response to each enquiry as quickly as possible.  

Please note that the advice line is not an emergency service. For anything urgent, please consider calling your local Social Work department, NHS 24 on 111 or the Samaritans on 116 123.

Alternatively, you may also be able to find answers to your queries in our ‘Support for Families’ section of our website.