This study sheds insight into the unique, daily struggles of individuals with Asperger Syndrome (AS) as they transition into adulthood. The majority of research available regarding individuals diagnosed with AS focuses on childhood experiences. What happens when these individuals age out of high school? What are their experiences with becoming independent, successful adults? This study elicited qualitative data concerned with individual experience from seven participants between the ages of eighteen and thirty years old. Data were collected through three face-to-face and four email interviews. Data were analyzed to identify specific challenges of adult life. All participants expressed challenges in social interaction, as well as successfully coping with stress in the areas of employment, education, and relationships. Results of this study offer a deeper understanding of the individual challenges individuals experience in young adult life.
","abstract_html":"<p>This study sheds insight into the unique, daily struggles of individuals with Asperger Syndrome (AS) as they transition into adulthood. The majority of research available regarding individuals diagnosed with AS focuses on childhood experiences. What happens when these individuals age out of high school? What are their experiences with becoming independent, successful adults? This study elicited qualitative data concerned with individual experience from seven participants between the ages of eighteen and thirty years old. Data were collected through three face-to-face and four email interviews. Data were analyzed to identify specific challenges of adult life. All participants expressed challenges in social interaction, as well as successfully coping with stress in the areas of employment, education, and relationships. Results of this study offer a deeper understanding of the individual challenges individuals experience in young adult life.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Nafziger, Cassandra M."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Social Work","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"School of Social Work","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Rosemary McCaslin"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2014,"date_issued":"2014-06-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2014-06-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:52:37Z","subjects":["Transition to Adulthood","Young Adults","Asperger Syndrome","Autism Spectrum Disorder","High-Functioning Autism","Personal Experiences","Social and Behavioral Sciences","Social Work"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/64","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Rosemary McCaslin"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Nafziger, Cassandra M."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2014-05-14T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["School of Social Work"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Social Work"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Transition to Adulthood","Young Adults","Asperger Syndrome","Autism Spectrum Disorder","High-Functioning Autism","Personal Experiences","Social and Behavioral Sciences","Social Work"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/64"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This study sheds insight into the unique, daily struggles of individuals with Asperger Syndrome (AS) as they transition into adulthood. The majority of research available regarding individuals diagnosed with AS focuses on childhood experiences. What happens when these individuals age out of high school? What are their experiences with becoming independent, successful adults? This study elicited qualitative data concerned with individual experience from seven participants between the ages of eighteen and thirty years old. Data were collected through three face-to-face and four email interviews. Data were analyzed to identify specific challenges of adult life. All participants expressed challenges in social interaction, as well as successfully coping with stress in the areas of employment, education, and relationships. Results of this study offer a deeper understanding of the individual challenges individuals experience in young adult life.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Transition to Adulthood: Experiences of Young Adults with Asperger Syndrome"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Rosemary McCaslin"],"dc:creator":["Nafziger, Cassandra M."],"dc:date.available":["2014-05-14T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This study sheds insight into the unique, daily struggles of individuals with Asperger Syndrome (AS) as they transition into adulthood. The majority of research available regarding individuals diagnosed with AS focuses on childhood experiences. What happens when these individuals age out of high school? What are their experiences with becoming independent, successful adults? This study elicited qualitative data concerned with individual experience from seven participants between the ages of eighteen and thirty years old. Data were collected through three face-to-face and four email interviews. Data were analyzed to identify specific challenges of adult life. All participants expressed challenges in social interaction, as well as successfully coping with stress in the areas of employment, education, and relationships. Results of this study offer a deeper understanding of the individual challenges individuals experience in young adult life.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/64"],"dc:subject":["Transition to Adulthood","Young Adults","Asperger Syndrome","Autism Spectrum Disorder","High-Functioning Autism","Personal Experiences","Social and Behavioral Sciences","Social Work"],"dc:title":["The Transition to Adulthood: Experiences of Young Adults with Asperger Syndrome"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["School of Social Work"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Social Work"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:52:37Z"}