Participation of Young Adults with High-Functioning Autism in Taiwan: A Pilot Study

Abstract

This pilot study aimed to investigate the activity participation of young adults with high-functioning autism (HFA) living in Taiwan. Eleven young adults with HFA, their caring adults, and 11 matched typically developing youth were recruited across Taiwan. The Adolescent and Young Adult Participation Sort-Taiwanese version (AYAPS-T) was administered to all three groups to compare the activity participation. In addition, youth with HFA identified activities in which they desired to participate and barriers hindering their participation. The results of this study suggest that youth with HFA had lower participation rates in activities across different domains than their typically developing peers. Youth with HFA were able to identify the activities they desired to do and the barriers hindering their participation. No significant differences in participation were found between the results reported by the caring adults and youth with HFA. Occupational therapy practitioners may work on eliminating the personal and environmental barriers that impede participation as youth with HFA transition out of secondary school.

Leisure Participation Patterns for School Age Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Findings from the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health

“…We hypothesized that areas of difference would include lower levels of physical activity participation (Must et al 2014), skill and job/chore participation and similar participation in recreational activities , specifically sedentary use of electronics. Additionally, we expected the gap to become larger for the older children based on previously published research of decreased participation as youth approach young adulthood (Hilton et al 2008; McCollum et al 2016; Wang and Berg 2014). Understanding the participation patterns of children with ASD and where there are major gaps on the developmental trajectory has clinical implications for treatment of children with ASD and long term QOL.…”

A cross-cultural exploration of the everyday social participation of individuals with autism spectrum disorders in Australia and Taiwan: An experience sampling study

“…In addition, there is likely to be varying access to services between countries (Lin et al, 2012; Sun et al, 2013), which may mean differing amount of intervention to develop the skills and competence necessary for satisfying social participation. We found only one study examining participation patterns among young adults with ASD in Eastern countries (Wang and Berg, 2014). Consistent with cultural expectations, Wang and Berg (2014) found that youth with HFA in Taiwan engaged most frequently in sedentary leisure activities at home and had minimal social interactions.…”

Development of the Adolescent and Young Adult Activity Card Sort

“…This article describes the development of a new card sort, the Adolescent and Young Adult Activity Card Sort (AYA-ACS), for emerging adults who are encountering transitional challenges. An earlier version of this tool is referred to as the Adolescent and Young Adult Participation Sort (AYAPS) and AYAPS-T (Taiwan; Wang & Berg, 2013, 2014).…”