Empirically derived model of social outcomes and predictors for adults with ASD.
NCI survey answers sort into three clear factors that flag where autistic adults need social support.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team re-examined the National Core Indicators (NCI) adult survey.
They ran factor analysis on answers from adults with autism and other developmental disabilities.
The goal was to see if the survey’s original sections really match how social outcomes group together.
What they found
Three new factors emerged: Personal Control, Social Determination, and Social Participation & Relationships.
This three-factor model fit both autistic adults and adults with other developmental disabilities.
The structure differed from the survey’s original layout, suggesting a simpler way to score adult social outcomes.
How this fits with other research
Whaling et al. (2025) extended the model. They used the three factors to predict real-life social-network types and found adults with no close ties scored lowest on Personal Control and Social Participation.
Dworzynski et al. (2009) did similar factor work earlier, but on children. Their five autism symptom factors helped pave the way for adult-focused models like this one.
Noordenbos et al. (2012) also factor-analyzed adult ASD data and highlighted social motivation as a key link to anxiety. The new three-factor model now gives you a ready-made scale to track that domain in practice.
Why it matters
You now have a validated, three-domain snapshot you can pull from any NCI dataset. Use it to spot which adults lack personal control or social participation, then write goals that target the weakest factor instead of generic social skills. It’s quick, free, and works across diagnoses.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study used data from the National Core Indicators (NCI) Survey to derive an empirically validated measurement model for social outcomes and associated constructs for both individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and individuals with other disabilities. Items consistent with the survey structure of the NCI were selected as initial indicators of the latent constructs Social Relationships, Community Inclusion, and Opportunity for Choice in factor analyses. Results yielded a novel factor structure that is different from the original NCI survey structure. Three factors emerged as a result of these analyses: Personal Control, Social Determination, and Social Participation and Relationships. The factor structure of each of these constructs was consistent although not identical across individuals with ASD and individuals with developmental disabilities other than ASD.
Intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2014 · doi:10.1352/1934-9556-52.4.282