Modifying (Phase I) and Evaluating (Phase II) Virtual Reality Job Interview Training for Youth in Transition

The unemployment rate is quite high among adults with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Inadequate transition planning during high school and gaps between vocational needs and
availability of evidence-based services help explain the struggles of transition-age youth at
obtaining employment. There is a paucity of research on developing and evaluating services to
support the transition to the work force after graduating from high school. The lack of
available resources to support transition-age youth with an ASD speaks to the need to develop
interventions that ameliorate obstacles to employment and help support the transition to the
work force. Due to the social deficits characterizing ASD innovative interventions could
target preparing job interview skills for students facing the transition to employment as the
job interview is a critical gateway to securing a job offer. Thus, the overarching goal of
this study is to modify an existing virtual reality job interview skills training program for
use in high school students with ASD and to test the feasibility and effectiveness of
conducting this intervention in a high school setting via a small controlled trial. Thus,
study's first aim is to modify the existing 'Virtual Reality Job Interview Training' program
to meet the specific needs of high school seniors with ASD. This will accomplish this by
conducting in depth interviews with high school students with ASD and their vocational
counselors to solicit feedback to modify the current training's learning goals, content,
usability, and simulated interview scripts to meet the specific needs of transition age
youth. An expert panel will determine the final modifications to the training program based
on the results of the qualitative data analysis and their own views of the program. Second
aim of the study is to conduct a pilot trial to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability,
portability, fidelity and preliminary effectiveness of the modified intervention in a
randomized controlled trial. This study will also explore potential mechanisms for
effectiveness and collect pilot implementation data.