Behavior analysis and intervention for adults with autism.
Adults with autism keep learning when services stay as intense and data-driven as good preschool programs.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Carr et al. (2002) followed 15 adults with autism for several years.
They tracked where each adult lived, worked, and received services.
The paper is a story of real placements, not a controlled experiment.
What they found
Some adults kept growing when the program stayed tough and data-based.
Others lost skills when they moved to looser day or residential settings.
The authors say adult services need the same rigor we give kids.
How this fits with other research
McQuaid et al. (2024) later showed one rigorous package can toilet train an adult in 11 weeks.
That single case proves the 2002 call for "equal rigor" works in real life.
Grosch et al. (1981) taught three adults to play darts with task analysis.
Their small study is an early brick in the wall E et al. want to build.
Fesko et al. (2012) add retirement planning to the same wall.
Together the papers sketch a full adult road map: keep teaching, then plan for aging.
Why it matters
If you write or supervise adult programs, treat goals like you would for kids.
Write precise targets, take daily data, and adjust fast.
Use the continuum idea: center-based training → supported job → community volunteer.
Fight the myth that adults "age out" of learning. These 15 stories say they don’t.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This article describes a behavioral intervention program for adults with autism, suggests that preparation for adulthood should begin in early childhood, asserts that the curriculum should be just as comprehensive and evaluation criteria just as rigorous in programs for adults as in programs for children, and proposes that close examination of adults' repertoires may lead to key modifications of services delivered to children. Along the way, the authors provide some data on the progress of 15 people who are now adults and whom they have known for 15 to 25 years. Finally, the authors argue that, because of the diversity of skills and skill deficits displayed by adults with autism, a program model that prevents "falling through the cracks" must provide an array of options--from training center to supported employment.
Behavior modification, 2002 · doi:10.1177/0145445502026001002