Social work practice with transition age youth with autism spectrum disorder.

Research has not explored competence and knowledge in practice with transition age youth (14-25) with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. Due to the small population of clinicians across disciplines specializing in practice with autism spectrum disorder, access to quality mental health care is critical. Social work is a profession of practice requiring licensure which follows a code of ethics, continually appealing for social workers to improve their knowledge and skills in the profession. This dissertation investigates the intersection of social work practice and transition age youth with autism in Texas to assess clinicians’ perceptions of competence and knowledge in their work with this specific population. This dissertation includes one quantitative study addressing perceptions of competence and knowledge in social work practice with this population, a phenomenological exploratory study of clinical social workers experience of service provision and practice needs with this population and a scoping review to determine existing research inclusive of social work and adults with ASD. There is no known research on clinical social work practice with transition age youth with ASD in Texas. The findings reveal social workers do not perceive themselves to be sufficiently competent or knowledgeable in the provision of services to this population but expressed a desire to obtain more training. Social workers additionally noted the lack of resources for this population and barriers for families in their efforts to obtain needed services. This dissertation can be informative for future research in this area and guide the social work profession and higher education professionals to develop appropriate training to best support this population group.