Predictors of Changes in Daily Activity in Transition‐Age Autistic Youth

Abstract

Transitioning into adulthood is fraught with challenges for autistic youth. A greater understanding of the facilitators of community involvement in school and employment during this period is warranted. The current study examines changes in service need and receipt, and the stability of accessing daily structured activities, for autistic young adults over their transition period compared to adolescents and adults that did not enter the transition period. Baseline caregiver survey data were taken from the Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorders Alliance National Autism Needs Assessment Survey in 2014, and caregivers (n = 304) completed the same set of questions in 2017 about sociodemographic factors, clinical need, service receipt and typical weekday activities. Three cohorts were compared: (1) pretransition age youth, (2) transition‐age youth, and (3) young adults who were past transition age. Results suggest that transition‐age youth were found to have a unique set of priority service needs compared to pre transition‐age adolescent and to adult groups, and both transition‐age and adult groups had lower levels of priority service receipt compared to pretransition‐age adolescents. The transition‐age group experienced the greatest loss of structured weekday activity between time points, and were more likely than pretransition‐age adolescents to not have structured weekday activities at Time 2. A recovery of structured daily activity was not observed in young adults. Our results highlight the tumultuous nature of the transition period for autistic youth, which continues into adulthood, and the urgent need for supports during this time. Lay Summary This research highlights that autistic young people who are transitioning to adulthood are at greatest risk of losing structured weekday activities, and that once in adulthood, many continue to struggle to obtain meaningful community engagement. These results can help guide the design of adolescent and young adult transition programs.

Trajectories of adaptive functioning from early childhood to adolescence in autism: Identifying turning points and key correlates of chronogeneity

“…Autistic adolescents in C4 tended to show comparable levels of home participation and social participation at school to typically developing peers as reported by other studies (Egilson et al., 2018 ; Fogel et al., 2021 ). These findings indicate that at least a subpopulation of Autistic people who follow more adaptive pathways actively participate in a variety of daily activities across settings in adolescence, which may be connected to their functional independence and successful transitions to adulthood (Myers et al., 2015 ; Weiss et al., 2021 ). However, additional support or adaptation may be needed in less structured or unfamiliar settings (e.g., community) to ensure person‐environment fit that potentiates Autistic people's participation in various aspects of life, considering their individual strengths and needs (Chen et al., 2023 ; Lai et al., 2020 ; Szatmari et al., 2021 ).…”

Variable patterns of daily activity participation across settings in autistic youth: A latent profile transition analysis

“…A previous study of autistic children reported stable participation in home activities but reduced participation in social and physical activities at school as children transitioned into adolescence ( Simpson et al, 2019 ). In another recent study in which a large group of autistic youth and adults was tracked over 3 years ( Weiss et al, 2021 ), a decline in participation in structured weekday activities for at least 25% of those who were recruited during the transition period was observed. This resonates with another longitudinal finding that about half of the autistic young adults no longer engaged in education- or work-related activities following high school exit ( Taylor & DaWalt, 2017 ).…”

“…Regular involvement in a variety of daily activities also has the potential to ameliorate the impact of perceived stress on satisfaction with life and to facilitate socio-emotional adjustment ( Bishop-Fitzpatrick et al, 2017 ; Bohnert et al, 2019 ; Howells et al, 2019 ). The extent to which autistic youth integrate into their communities through daily activity participation reflects their strengths and needs and can be an important indicator of successful transition into adulthood ( Clark & Adams, 2020 ; Lounds Taylor et al, 2017 ; Myers et al, 2015 ; Weiss et al, 2021 ).…”