Brief Report: Psychological Flexibility, Perceived Stress and Emotion Regulation in Transitional-Age Youth (TAY) With Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Transitional youth with autism show the same stress and flexibility deficits as youth with other diagnoses, so ACT is on the table.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team asked 18- to young learners with autism to fill out three short surveys.
They compared the scores to same-age peers from the community and to youth in mental-health clinics.
The surveys measured psychological flexibility, perceived stress, and emotion regulation.
What they found
Youth with autism scored lower on flexibility and higher on stress than community peers.
Their emotion-regulation scores were also worse.
Surprisingly, they looked just like youth with other psychiatric diagnoses, not more impaired.
How this fits with other research
Cederlund et al. (2010) used parent and self-ratings in a similar age group and found big gaps between what parents saw and what the young men with Asperger’s said.
K et al. now show those self-ratings capture real transdiagnostic risk, not just reporter bias.
Beaudoin et al. (2022) saw that talking about feelings at home boosts regulation in young kids with ASD.
The new data say the vulnerability is still there in emerging adults, so the window for help stays open.
Lapshina et al. (2021) found inner speech helps older autistic people reappraise emotions.
K et al. add psychological flexibility as another malleable target that sits above specific diagnoses.
Why it matters
You can treat transitional-age clients with autism the same way you treat other stressed-out youth.
ACT modules that build flexibility and acceptance are fair game—no need to wait for an autism-specific protocol.
Start with brief values exercises and present-moment awareness; the skills should generalize because the core deficits are transdiagnostic.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
PURPOSE: In clinical practice and research, there is growing interest in transdiagnostic interventions, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), for patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), due to the pervasive nature of the condition, which can lead to recurring difficulties. To develop and refine such interventions, it is essential to identify the transdiagnostic factors that individuals with ASD struggle with. METHODS: The current study investigated psychological flexibility-a key concept within ACT-in a group of adolescents and young adults, i.e., transition-age youth (TAY), with ASD, and compared them to TAY with other psychological problems and a community sample of TAY. In addition, two other transdiagnostic factors were examined: perceived stress and emotion regulation (ER) strategies. RESULTS: Both TAY with ASD and TAY with other psychological problems reported lower levels of psychological flexibility, higher perceived stress, and fewer adaptive as well as more maladaptive ER strategies compared to TAY from the community group. Contrary to expectations, no significant differences were found between TAY with ASD and those with other psychological problems. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the importance of focusing on interventions that aim to increase psychological flexibility, such as ACT, while also addressing other transdiagnostic factors like stress and ER skills in future research on TAY with ASD.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2026 · doi:10.4088/JCP.12084co1