Factors that Influence the Daily Living Skills of Autistic Adults: The Importance of Opportunity.
Shin Er Teh, Le Thao Vy Vo, Vanessa H Bal
PMID 37914836WHAT IT FOUND
For autistic adults with average or higher IQ, lack of opportunity was the most common reason for low daily living skills scores, accounting for 59% of items.
Scores improved by 7.65 points when adjusted for opportunity, suggesting environment limits performance more than ability.
Key findings
01Lack of opportunity (No Chance) was the most frequent reason for non-performance of daily living skills in adults with NVIQ ≥85, accounting for 59.0% of items.
02Adjusting scores for opportunity factors resulted in an average gain of 7.65 DLS points for the NVIQ ≥85 group, moving the mean from 70 to 77.
03Cognitive reasons were the most frequent factor for non-performance in adults with NVIQ <85, accounting for 43.4% of items, with opportunity being the second most common.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Small convenience sample of 33 participants. Subgroup analyses are based on very small numbers (n=10 for NVIQ <85), requiring caution. Some interviews occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have altered opportunities for skill practice. The study relied on caregiver report and did not directly assess the adults' potential through observation or testing.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that low daily living skills scores in autistic adults with average IQ indicate a lack of ability. The study found that for this group, 59% of low scores were due to lack of opportunity, not cognitive or physical limitations. Treating these deficits as ability-based may lead to inappropriate interventions.