Adults with a diagnosis of High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (HF ASD) are becoming a significant presence on college campuses across the United States. A number of colleges have created programs to provide services to support accommodations for these students under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); the first was created in 2002. The creation of these programs does not guarantee success. The use of the logic model in the formative evaluation process has been found to be a key foundation for the establishment of an effective program. The logic model provides a visual representation of the defined problem, the resources and services, and the data sources which provide documentation of service delivery and the intended outcomes of the program.
This study is a formative evaluation that uses a logic model approach conducted during the second year of an Autism Spectrum Support Program. This study analyzed data generated by 25 adult participants (20 male, 5 female) between the ages of 18 and 30 with a diagnosis of HF ASD to determine what changes to the program were required. The logic model served a dual purpose in this evaluation. First, it provided a visual representation of the services provided. Second, it served as a template for the organization of the program data. Methodological problems, suggested program changes, and future research directions are discussed.