Adaptive Functioning in Autism Spectrum Disorder During the Transition to Adulthood.
Adaptive skills stay far below IQ into adulthood, so never drop daily-living, communication, or social targets from the adult plan.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team looked at 75 people with autism . They gave each person an IQ test and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. Then they compared the two scores to see how far daily skills lagged behind thinking ability.
They split the Vineland into three parts: daily living, communication, and social skills.
What they found
Daily living skills were the strongest area, but still far below IQ. Communication and social skills were even weaker.
In plain words: even smart autistic adults often cannot cook a meal, hold a conversation, or make a friend without help.
How this fits with other research
Bao et al. (2017) followed 74 autistic adults for 25 years. They found that behavior problems fade with age, but core autism traits stay put. This matches Ohan et al. (2015): skills do not catch up on their own.
Kirby (2016) showed that parent expectations shape young adult success. When parents aim high, kids land better jobs and live more independently. This points to a lever you can pull: raise family goals during transition planning.
Storch et al. (2012) revealed that autistic students rarely lead their own IEP meetings. Taken together, the story is clear: students leave school with low skills, low expectations, and little practice speaking up.
Why it matters
Keep daily living, communication, and social goals in the adult plan. Use parent training to lift expectations. Give the client the mic at every IEP or ISP meeting so they practice self-advocacy before the school door closes.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Add one client-led goal to the current ISP, such as ordering lunch at a café with a script card.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
There is a dearth of research regarding adaptive functioning during the transition to adulthood in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Profiles on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Second Edition were examined by age and intellectual ability in 75 participants with ASD (16-58 years). Results extend previous reports of a cognitive advantage over adaptive functioning in children by demonstrating a similar pattern in an older sample. Daily living skills were a relative strength compared to communication and socialization in adults, but not adolescents. In general, highest subdomain scores were observed in writing skills and lowest scores were observed in interpersonal skills. Regardless of cognitive ability, all standard scores were well below average, indicating a need for lifelong intervention that targets adaptive functioning.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2015 · doi:10.1007/s10803-015-2400-2