"He Sees his Autism as a Strength, Not a Deficit Now": A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study Investigating the Impact of Strengths-Based Programs on Autistic Adolescents.
Elinda Ai Lim Lee, Melissa Scott, Melissa H Black and 5 others
PMID 36745275WHAT IT FOUND
Parents reported high satisfaction with community coding and STEAM programs for autistic teens, but outcomes remained stable over three years rather than improving.
Only community participation increased significantly in the final year, while confidence dipped in the second year.
Key findings
01Parent-reported outcomes for health, social relationships, and sense of belonging showed no significant change across the three years of the program.
02Participants in the third year were more than twice as likely to report improved community and civic life compared to the first year.
03Confidence and self-esteem scores differed significantly between the second and third years, with a small effect size.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study used a repeated cross-sectional design, meaning different participants were surveyed each year. This limits the ability to draw conclusions about long-term changes within individual children. There was no control group or comparison condition, so it is impossible to determine if the outcomes were due to the program or natural development. The sample size for repeat participants was small, with less than a third completing all three waves. Outcomes were based solely on parent report, with no direct assessment of the adolescents. The measures for activities and participation lacked established psychometric properties. The response rate dropped in 2020, potentially due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Ian Potter Foundation, Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre, and Bennelong Foundation. No specific conflicts of interest were declared by the authors in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the high parent satisfaction scores as evidence that the program caused improvements in the adolescents' abilities. The study found no significant change in most outcomes over three years, and the design cannot separate the effect of the program from natural maturation or selection bias.