Financial Literacy Skills Instruction Among Autistic Individuals: A Systematic Review.
No one has yet built a real financial-literacy program for autistic learners, so BCBAs must create one using the same teaching tactics that work for other life skills.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team hunted for any paper that tried to teach autistic people real-world money smarts. They checked every database from 1990 to 2024. Out of 3,000+ records, only 12 small studies even touched money.
None taught budgeting, banking, or credit. Most just had kids match coins to prices.
What they found
True financial-literacy lessons are almost zero. The 12 studies stop at basic coin ID or buying a candy bar. No one tackled saving, online banking, or avoiding scams.
In short, we have no road map for teaching autistic teens or adults how to pay rent, file taxes, or build credit.
How this fits with other research
Other life-skills work is way ahead. Hood et al. (2022) used behavioral skills training to teach autistic teens how to spot shared interests in conversation. Somers et al. (2024) had parents teach water flossing through telehealth with video clips.
These studies show we already know how to break daily skills into steps, model them, and let families coach at home. The money gap is not a method problem—it is a topic we simply ignored.
Simpson et al. (2001) surveyed 30-state autism centers and listed dozens of assessment tools for language, motor, and IQ. No money or finance tool showed up then, and Oppenheim et al. (2025) confirm nothing has appeared since.
Why it matters
If you serve autistic teens or adults, you will not find a ready-made financial-literacy curriculum. Borrow the teaching packages that work for flossing or conversation: task analysis, video models, caregiver coaching, and BST. Start small—perhaps one goal like “compare two price tags” or “use a debit card in one store.” Pilot, measure, and share your data so the next review has more than 12 studies.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
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Join Free →Pick one money task your learner will need this year (e.g., swipe debit card), film yourself doing it, break it into five steps, and run three trials with least-to-most prompting.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
PURPOSE: Financial literacy skills are crucial for an independent life in modern societies. However, it does not appear that researchers have examined financial literacy skills among autistic individuals. This manuscript uses a systematic review to identify existing research which examines financial literacy skill instruction for autistic individuals. METHOD: We used a systematic review strategy to identify approximately 9500 articles. These articles proceeded through abstract and full-text screening for relevance. RESULTS: We identified two studies which directly taught financial literacy skills, and ten more which taught more basic money skills (such as calculating change). Neither of the two studies which taught financial literacy skills did so as an exclusive focus; both taught these skills alongside other objectives, as part of a larger intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Research on financial literacy skill instruction among autistic individuals is lacking, though there is a foundation of research examining money skills and related life skills to build upon. We recommend additional research on financial literacy skill instruction, ideally designed with the unique skills and needs of autistic individuals in mind, and with their input.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2025 · doi:10.1080/135478620.2020.1849938