A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of a Daily Living Skills Intervention for Adolescents with Autism

Duncan et al. (2022) tested a 12-week group program called STRW. It teaches teens with autism how to cook, clean, handle money, and use the bus.

Half the teens started right away. The other half waited. Both groups took the Vineland test before and after.

The teens who got STRW scored much higher on daily living skills. The wait-list group stayed the same.

Parents said the gains felt big and useful at home.

This study updates Pritchard et al. (2017). The 2017 paper had no control group, so we could not be sure the gains came from the program. The 2022 paper added a wait-list and still showed big gains, so the effect looks real.

Płatos et al. (2022) and W Vernon et al. (2018) ran similar RCTs with autistic teens, but they taught social skills instead of daily living. All three studies used groups, parents, and 12–20 week manuals, showing the format works for different skills.

Vindin et al. (2021) tried a driving program for autistic students and found no extra benefit over standard lessons. STRW shows that when the lessons are built for autism, clear gains can happen.

If you run high-school groups, STRW gives you a ready 12-week plan. You get parent handouts, lesson scripts, and bus-trip homework. Try adding one real-world outing each week and track Vineland DLS scores. The study says you should see a clear jump in independence after three months.