Autism Transitions Research Project (ATRP)
About ATRP
The Autism Transitions Research Project (ATRP) is a coalition of researchers and stakeholders who are addressing gaps in autism research that focuses on autistic transition-aged youth.
Research focused on autistic youth transitioning into adulthood has not kept pace with the rapid growth in size, needs, or the different experiences within this group. Research efforts to date have been limited in scope, conducted in siloes, and have not deployed a comprehensive definition of healthy life transitions that emphasizes health outcomes.
Through a series of coordinated projects across multiple sites, ATRP plans to conduct research focused on autistic youth transitioning into adulthood.
This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under cooperative agreement UT6MC45902 Autism Transitions Research Project (ATRP). The information, content, and/or conclusions are those of the authors and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government.
Related Projects
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Community and System Factors Impacting Healthy Life Outcomes, ATRP's Big Data initiative, promotes health and well-being by examining characteristics of individuals, caregivers and families, providers, and systems to identify opportunities for improving equity in healthy life outcomes and access to needed supports and services. Unique access to national data sources will provide novel observations of transition experiences across groups and with findings applicable to national systems of care. New approaches to data linkages will provide innovative insight into streamlining and coordinating care, services, and supports. Translation and dissemination of findings across stakeholders will inform policy, practice, clinical guidelines, and future research, and are well-poised to affect health outcomes for autistic transition-aged youth.
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Assessing the Cultural Appropriateness of the Community Autism Peer Specialist (CAPS) Program for Latino autistic youth is focused on addressing opportunities in autism support services by enhancing the Community Autism Peer Specialist (CAPS) Training Program. This program trains autistic individuals to become peer mentors, providing valuable support to others in the autism community. While CAPS has successfully engaged African American autistic youth, it has faced challenges in reaching Latino autistic youth. We aim to improve accessibility to Latino youth through culturally appropriate modifications. Our approach includes qualitative research, data analysis, and intervention refinement to create a scalable, sustainable, and inclusive peer support system leveraging Medicaid funding.
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Capacity Building for Equity Impact aims to strengthen support for autistic transition-age youth participating in college and Title V (Maternal Child Health - MCH) programs. Research shows autistic college students face greater mental and physical health challenges than their peers. Studying differences in these challenges across autistic youth can help improve support during key life transitions. Helping Title V programs to consider the needs of transition-age autistic youth and their families may also improve long-term health outcomes. Findings will be shared with MCH network staff and educators to drive meaningful change.
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Promoting Healthy Outcomes for Autistic College Students is a qualitative study conducted through UCLA , exploring the social and environmental factors that support positive college experiences for Black and Brown students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Using in-person interviews and Reddit-based data collection, the research centered the voices of students of color to identify what conditions, resources, and community elements contribute to their thriving on HBCU campuses.