Age-Related Changes in Functional Skills and Daily Life Task Management Among Autistic Youth.

Area of Science:

• Developmental psychology
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) research
• Transition services for youth

Background:

• Autistic youth graduating high school often face challenges with independence and daily living skills.
• Limited research exists on the longitudinal changes in functional and self-management abilities during the critical transition to adulthood for autistic individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate cross-sectional differences in functional and self-management skills among autistic youth of varying transition ages.
• To examine the longitudinal progression of these skills over an 18-month period in autistic adolescents.

Main Methods:

• An exploratory longitudinal study design was employed with data collected over 18 months.
• Participants included 50 autistic high school graduates and their parents, recruited from a community setting.
• The Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test (ASD) was utilized to measure functional and self-management skills.

Main Results:

• Older autistic youth (18-20 years) demonstrated significantly lower scores in Social/Cognitive and Responsibility domains compared to younger peers (14-17 years).
• Over the 2-year follow-up, significant improvements were observed in both age groups for Daily Activities and Responsibility scaled scores.
• Despite improvements, autistic youth's skills remained below those of nonautistic peers.

Conclusions:

• Functional and self-management skills in autistic youth, while initially below nonautistic peers, show potential for development over time.
• These skills represent viable targets for therapeutic interventions aimed at enhancing independence in autistic adults.
• Occupational therapists can facilitate adult independence by assessing needs and providing tailored interventions for autistic youth.