Transition is proving especially difficult for those with autism as compared to other disabilities, with most on the spectrum struggling to move into the workforce or additional schooling.

Research published Monday indicates that in the first two years after high school more than half of those with autism did not work or attend school, a lower rate of participation than any other disability group studied. The situation improved somewhat with time, yet more than six years after leaving high school some 35 percent of those with autism still had no work or further education.

The findings suggest that current transition planning for young people with autism is inadequate, researchers said in the study published in the journal Pediatrics. What's more, they say the struggles facing those with autism are particularly troubling given the growing number of children with the disorder.

"Many families with children with autism describe turning 18 as falling off a cliff because of the lack of services for adults with ASDs," said Paul Shattuck of Washington University in St. Louis who led the study. "The years immediately after high school are key. They are the time when people create an important foundation for the rest of their lives."

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