Case Study: Tracey
Exceptional Needs Children PS340-01
Instructor: Crystal Alstot, M.S., BCBA

Case Study: Tracey
Transitioning to adulthood can be stressful and challenging for all, but for those diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their caregivers transitioning to adulthood can provoke feeling of uncertainty or even fear. People with ASD function at different levels and require varying degrees of care. There should be an individualized educational plan (IEP) established by age 16 containing postsecondary goals related to training, education, employment, and independent living skills along with the transition services needed to assist in reaching those goals referred to as
A daily schedule will be provided for Tracey to remind her of things like hygiene routine, personal care (picking and changing her clothes), and household chores. Heward (2013) suggests “to facilitate social integration, people without disabilities may also occupy some apartments in an apartment cluster” (p. 5450). Autism Living and Working (ALAW) provides supervised living with home ownership opportunities to adults with autism by focusing on each individual’s personal preferences, strengths, deficits, and sensory-motor requirements, ALAW works to provide the necessary residential accommodations and vocational supports to enable the person to participate more fully in work and life in the community (ALAW, 2014). All accommodations are specifically tailored to meet an individual's needs and preferences across their lifetime. What is most beneficial of programs like that offered by ALAW is the help-to-do rather than the do-for attitude, where Tracey can continue to learn and develop new skills but most importantly she will find consistency, structure, and predictability.
Tracey’s impulsivity must be addressed in order for her to be successful both in a professional and a personal setting. Behavior problems serve as a form of communication that has a function in the person who displays it. When Tracey grabs or pushes another peer she can be seeking attention in order to express her frustration