Surviving and Thriving in the Real World: a Daily Living Skills Intervention for High Schoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Abstract
The current study aligns with the following FY17 ARP Clinical Translational Research Award Areas of Interest: (1) interventions promoting success in key transitions to adulthood for individuals living with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); (2) behavioral, cognitive, and other non-pharmacological therapies; and (3) therapies to alleviate conditions co-occurring with ASD (i.e., adaptive behavior deficits in ASD). Background: Adolescents with high-functioning ASD are not developing the skills necessary to successfully transition to the adult world in the areas of college, employment, independent living, and social interaction. Despite their intact cognitive abilities, they are less likely to be engaged in any vocational or educational activities after high school, even as compared to individuals with ASD and a comorbid intellectual disability. These poor outcomes are startling because parents and professionals often expect individuals with high-functioning ASD to successfully transition to the adult world because of their cognitive abilities and less severe profile of ASD symptomatology. Studies have consistently found that adults with high-functioning ASD who have better developed daily living skills (DLS) were more likely to attend college, be employed, have more meaningful social relationships, and have an increased quality of life as compared to those with poor DLS. DLS are skills that allow individuals to function independently, such as being able to cook, do laundry, and use a debit card to make purchases. DLS do not typically require an understanding of complex social communication skills that may be particularly difficult for individuals with ASD. Rather, DLS often require specific instruction, practice, and feedback. Interestingly, individuals with high-functioning ASD gain DLS at a significantly slower rate compared to peers with typical development and even compared to peers with developmental disabilities. Adolescents with high-functioning ASD also have impaired DLS that often fall 6-8 years below what would be expected based on their cognitive abilities and age and are most proficient in DLS that are typically acquired in preschool-aged children (e.g., eating, dressing, toileting). Thus, it is especially critical to develop DLS interventions for adolescents with ASD to facilitate a more successful transition to the adult world. Impact: Despite the strong and clearly documented link between DLS and adult outcome, there are no intervention packages that help adolescents develop age-appropriate DLS. A DLS intervention package for adolescents with high-functioning ASD that uses evidence-based strategies for teaching DLS and incorporates parents in the intervention has the potential to directly affect adult outcome by increasing capabilities for skills that are needed to succeed in college, employment, and independent living. In the current study, we will examine how the Surviving and Thriving in the Real World (STRW) intervention improves the DLS of 72 adolescents with ASD in their last 2 years of high school. Our previous work has found that STRW can increase the DLS of adolescents with ASD by 2 to 2.5 years over the course of the intervention, which has significant and practical implications for both current functioning (e.g., maintaining a part-time job while in high school, managing a checking and savings account, cooking meals for oneself) and future adult outcomes (e.g., budgeting for monthly expenses, keeping one’s apartment clean, making routine medical appointments, planning for meals for an entire week and then going grocery shopping). The current study will examine these outcomes and also explore how factors such as social communication skills (e.g., understanding expectations, taking others’ perspectives); executive functioning abilities (e.g., getting started on tasks, organizing and managing time); and parenting and family factors (e.g., parental stress, over-involvement in daily routi
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Oct 29, 2018
- Source ID
- W81XWH1810677
Entities
People
- Amie Duncan
Organizations
- United States Army