My Life as an Epic Win: Transitioning to Adulthood for Older Teens

My Life as an Epic Win:
Transitioning to Adulthood for
Older Teens and Young Adults
with High Functioning
Autism or Aspergers
Rebecca Ward
Allison Drake
Centre for Applied Disability Studies
Brock University, St. Catharines, Canada
Megan Brayshaw
Amanda Coulthard
Robin Brennan
Woodview Mental Health and Autism Services
Funded by Autism Speaks Canada
Autism Speaks - Canada
∗ Family Service and Community Grant
∗ Intended for development and evaluation of
innovative projects that make a difference for
people with ASD and their families
PRESENTATION OVERVIEW
1.
2.
3.
4.
Epic Win program rationale (Dr. Becky Ward)
Epic Win Course description (Amanda Coulthard)
Initial outcomes (Megan Brayshaw)
Evaluation and future directions (Allison Drake)
Exercise 1: Visioning the future
Exercise 2: Creating SMART goals
Exercise 3: Problem Solving the barriers to success
My Life as an Epic Win
What we were funded to do?
Purpose:
∗ Three consecutive administrations of a program for
Transition Age Youth (TAY = 16-25 year olds) and their
parents
∗ Intention: Develop an empowerment course that leaves
youth and their parents more able to:
 Listen to each other and work collaboratively
 Plan the future: set long-term and short-term goals
 Problem solve barriers to success
 Stay in action around their goals
My Life as an Epic Win Course
(5 groups over 1 year)
Three phases:
1.First run-through: May – July 2013
∗ Woodview – Hamilton (2 men, 2 women)
2.Second run-through: October – December 2013
∗ Autism Ontario Niagara (3 men, 1 woman)
3.Third run-through: January – April 2014
∗ Bethesda Services (7 men, 1 woman)
∗ Port Colborne Community Living (5 men)
∗ Woodview – Hamilton (3 men)
What is an Epic Win?
… and what
would it mean
for one’s life to
be an Epic
Win?
What would it be like if young people with HFA and
Aspergers (or all young people) experienced their life as
an Epic Win?
Developing “Epic Win” attitude
∗ Show 4 minutes of
Jane McGonigal’s TED talk
http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_mak
e_a_better_world.html
What are the characteristics of an
“Epic Win” attitude?
1. Urgent optimism – belief in your ability to win the game
2. Tight social fabric – trust in those you play games with
3. Blissful productivity – happy to work hard & long at the
game
4. Epic meaning – the game is about your inspired mission or
purpose – often a purpose bigger than yourself
Assumption: If we were to develop this gaming attitude in
life, we would be more resilient to the challenges of life
What is the reality for many young adults
with HFA and Aspergers?
1. Pessimism, fear, anxiety
2. Isolation
3. Lack of planning skills
4. Unproductive activities
5. Lack of purpose or passion
about the future
6. Mental health challenges
Why does the virtual world
seem better than reality?
∗ Lots of people/characters who trust that
you can win
∗ Collaborators to help achieve your epic
mission - give you clues along the way and
praise your efforts
∗ Always something to be done – lots of
actions to take
∗ Epic story of why we are doing what we are
doing
∗ Constant feedback on performance
Behavioural Interpretation
of the Gaming World
∗ Intrinsic Reinforcement
∗ Positive Reinforcement
∗ Prompting
∗ Shaping
∗ Observational learning
∗ Social reinforcement
Secret Game Mechanics Playdeck: related to human behaviour
http://techcrunch.com/2010/08/25/scvngr-game-mechanics/
How can we use these basic
behavioural principles in life planning?
∗ Long-term Goals - creating purpose / incentive
∗ Supports – information, prompts, encouragement
∗ Short-term Goals – create levels to “mastery”
∗ Action Plans – plan actions to reach goals
∗ Take Action – daily, weekly promises for action
∗ Solicit feedback – parents, peers, mentors
∗ Gain incentives – praise, other rewards
Research on Transition to Adulthood
∗ Transition Planning
∗ Person-centred Planning
∗ Self- efficacy
∗ Self-advocacy
∗ Resiliency
∗ Self-determination
Self-determination Research
for Students with Disabilities
Lee et al. (2012)
Most important factors:
∗Sense of Self-efficacy
∗Expecting good outcomes
∗Students’ transition planning knowledge
∗Instruction in transition planning that is self-directed
Resiliency Research: what makes for
resilient families and youth?
Benzies & Mychasiuk (2009):
“Family [and individuals] resiliency does not develop
through evasion of risk, but through successful application
of protective factors to engage in adverse situations and
emerge from them stronger”
My Life as an Epic Win Course
What’s the course all about?
∗ Purpose?
To empower youth with HFA and
Aspergers in their successful
transition to adulthood.
∗ Who should take the course?
Teens and young adults (aged 16-25 years) and
their parents - interested in planning their future
∗ Time commitment?
10-week course one evening a week, plus weekly
homework
Epic Win Course
What’s the course all about?
What happens in the course?
We work with youth with HFA/AS to create a vision
for their future and get them in action:
(1) Career/work
(2) Further education
(3) Independence
(4) Relationships
Epic Win Course
How is the course delivered?
∗ We explore what it will take to
have them develop an “Epic Win”
attitude. We use….
∗ Group discussion
∗ Role play
∗ Video modeling
∗ Homework
∗ Parents will be involved in their
own concurrent session to learn
how to support their youth on this
journey
Epic Win Course
What will they get out of the course?
∗ We help them identify their strengths and see how
they are already resilient
∗ We teach strategies to overcome barriers
∗ They create a 5 year plan in four core areas of life
∗ They develop short-term goals and action plans to
achieve these goals
We teach active listening skills to
build team work and collaboration
Epic Win Course
Overview
SESSION 1. OVERVIEW
∗Ice-breaker – getting to know each other
∗Learning to listen to others, starting with your peers
∗Identifying your Best Self – interests, strengths,
passions, positive characteristics, gifts
∗Creating your vision in the four core areas:
Work/Career, Further Education, Independence, Relationships
∗Wheel of Life: visual display of goals
WHEEL OF LIFE: POSSIBLE GOAL AREAS
SELF-CARE
MAKING AND
KEEPING FRIENDS
DOMESTIC SKILLS
BOY/GIRL FRIENDS
COMMUNITY SKILLS
FINDING MENTORSHIP
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION RELATIONS WITH PARENTS
INDEPENDENCE
CAREER & WORK
CAREER CHOICE
ON-THE-JOB TRAINING
APPRENTICESHIPS
SOCIAL SKILLS
FOR WORK
RELATIONSHIPS
LIFE LONG LEARNING
COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY
COURSES ON HOBBIES
TRADE SCHOOL
SOCIAL SKILLS
AT SCHOOL
Epic Win Course
Overview
SESSION 2. OVERCOMING BARRIERS TO SUCCESS
∗Assessing how close or far you are from your goals in the four
areas of life (Wheel of Life)
∗Understanding challenges associated with ASD (barriers)
∗Personal differences in thinking and learning styles (visual,
auditory, tactile, kinesthetic learning)
∗Recognizing how limiting beliefs can stop us (my beliefs or
others beliefs about me)
How can we “re-frame” our negative experiences so that we
can look at our challenges in a more positive light?
Epic Win Course
Overview
SESSION 3: DEVELOPING RESILIENCY AND SEEKING
SUPPORT
∗
∗
∗
∗
Importance of overcoming failure to build resiliency
Ongoingly dealing with limiting beliefs/negative thoughts
Seeing how are you already resilient
Building a Circle of Supports:
 Knowing who is on your team / creating your team
 Learning to listen and show empathy
 Acknowledging and appreciating others
Epic Win Course
Overview
SESSION 4: GOAL SETTING
AND ACTIONS PLANNING
∗ Long-term goals (where do I want to be 5 years from
now?)
∗ Short-term goals (where do I want to be 1 year from now?)
∗ SMART goals (What 1-3 month goals will help me achieve
my one-year goals)





Simple
Measureable
Achievable
Realistic
Within a Time frame
∗ Turn SMART goals into Action Plans
Epic Win Course
Overview
SESSION 5: WORK AND CAREER PLANNING
∗ What are your strengths and challenges in getting a job?
∗ What career options match your strengths and interests?
∗ Creating short-term SMART goals and actions plans
SESSION 6: FURTHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING
∗ What education is needed to get the career of your dreams?
∗ What skills will you need to succeed in a career?
∗ What skills will you need to succeed in higher education?
∗ Creating short-term SMART goals and actions plans
Epic Win Course
Overview
SESSION 7: INDEPENDENCE
∗ What level of independence do you want?
∗ What skills and supports will you need to achieve
independence?
∗ Creating short-term SMART goals and actions plans
SESSION 8: RELATIONSHIPS
∗ Finding support / mentorship
∗ Strengthening existing relationships
∗ Creating new friendships, peer groups
∗ Creating short-term SMART goals and actions plans
Epic Win Course
Overview
SESSION 9: CREATING YOUR
EPIC LIFE PLAN VIDEO
• Making Videos (or visual displays) to
show Life Plan
• Creating structures to practice what
you learned and to keep in action
toward your goals
SESSION 10: WRAP UP AND CELEBRATION
Party to celebrate completion of Epic Win Course and to
watch Epic Life Plan videos!!!
Epic Life Videos
Dylan’s Epic Life
Plan Video
Epic Life Videos
Jaime’s Epic Life
Plan Video
Post-course Interviews
with Youth and Parents
1. What is your vision for your (your son/daughter’s)
adult life now?
2. What challenges do you foresee in your (your
son/daughter’s) transition to adult life?
3. What did you (your son/daughter) learn from this
Epic Win course about yourself (your son/daughter)?
4. How do you think the course helped you (your
son/daughter) in transitioning to adult life?
Youth and Parent Satisfaction Survey
1. What did you most enjoy or find
most valuable about the Epic Win course?
2. What did you dislike or like least about the Epic Win course?
3. What tools/skills will you continue to use after the course?
4. What would you change or improve about the course?
5. What was your overall satisfaction in participating in the Epic
Win course? (scale of 1-5)
6. Rate the following activities in terms of usefulness and
enjoyment (scale of 1-5 - given list of activities used in course)
Parent Feedback
Summary
First and Second Run Through:
∗High satisfaction
∗Like minded parents - felt supported and connected
∗Required high level of trust and buy in – not always comfortable
∗Need real life examples for each area of life - bring in speakers
∗Started to get son/daughter to open up
∗Enjoyed review of homework each week (very little completed)
∗More time needed to practice goal setting / creating action plans
∗Wanting follow up – more resources for future – more groups
∗Concern for how to keep the learning process going post course
What parents said about their
youth after 7 weeks in Epic Win
∗ “Every time we leave here he’s so
excited he wants to do so much
stuff”
∗ “He’s starting to ask questions he
never did before because of this
group”
∗ “What he’s getting out of it is the
hardest thing he’s ever had to do,
which is to talk to people he
doesn’t know. He finds it very
rewarding.”
What parents said about
their experience in Epic Win
∗ “It’s really helpful to have the
support and advice and to learn
new things from other parents
who are dealing with the same
issues”
∗ “It’s nice to see how other children
think, with all the similarities and
differences”
∗ “I’m finally starting to let him go”
What youth said about
their experience in Epic Win
∗ “Socially, I’ve noticed a change.
I’m taking more initiative. I’ve
been more assertive. For
example, in arranging gettogethers and talking to people in
the halls at school.”
∗ “I’m thinking about my
independence more and what I
want for myself.”
Evaluation of Epic Win Course
Third course run-through
Three concurrent courses in winter 2014
Added incentives for homework completion
More practice with peers, parents, video modeling
∗Post interviews and satisfaction surveys
∗Transition Skills Inventory (pre-assessment)
∗The ARC’s Self-Determination Scale (Wehmeyer & Kelchner, 1995)
 Autonomy, Self-regulation, Psychological Empowerment, SelfRealization (Pre-post measure)
∗Measuring actions taken and outcomes in each area of life during course and within one month following course
Future Directions for Epic Win
Continue to improve and evaluate
Epic Win groups:
∗ Make course 12 weeks long
∗ Use video modeling to illustrate
tools and strategies
• Manualize the program
∗ Video role plays for feedback
• Explore use of Epic Win
course in high schools
∗ Homework incentives for both
• Create and test a French
youth and parents
version of course
∗ Standardized pre-post measures:
active listening, problems solving,
actions taken toward goals
EXERCISE 1: Visioning the Future
Using the Wheel of Life handout, write
down some of your goals or what’s
important to you in the four areas of life:
∗Work/career
∗Further education
∗Independence
∗Relationships
Share this with the person sitting next to
you
EXERCISE 2: Creating SMART goals
Using the Long Term & Short Term
Planning worksheet, create a SMART
goal related to one Long Term goal:
∗ Specific
∗ Measureable
∗ Attainable
∗ Relevant
∗ Time bound
What actions can you take to fulfill on this SMART goal?
Pick one action and commit to doing it this week!
EXERCISE 3: Problem Solving
Barriers to Success
Using the Problem Solving
worksheet:
∗Define the problem (gap between
expectation and what’s so)
∗Consider at least 3 possible
solutions
∗What are the pros and cons of
each?
∗Pick best solution and commit to
trying it out.
Thank you for completing
the presentation evaluation !
Create an Epic Life!