Compliance in autism: Self-report in action.
Autistic adults tend to say yes and follow through, so probe for real consent before you proceed.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers asked autistic and non-autistic adults to fill out a compliance questionnaire.
They also watched how the same people acted during a short lab task.
The goal was to see if autistic adults say yes more often and if they actually do.
What they found
Autistic adults scored higher on the paper survey and followed more instructions in the task.
Lower self-esteem was linked to higher self-reported compliance only in the autistic group.
How this fits with other research
Takashima et al. (1994) looked at preschoolers and saw the opposite: autistic three- to five-year-olds obeyed “don’t touch” rules less than peers.
The gap is about age, not truth. Little kids may not yet grasp social rules; grown-ups have learned to comply.
Sasson et al. (2018) found autistic adults also misread how others judge them, so their extra compliance may come from trying to avoid disapproval.
O'Connor et al. (2024) showed autistic adults give more money to strangers, another sign they follow fairness norms strongly.
Why it matters
Your adult clients may nod and agree even when they dislike the plan.
Check for true assent by asking open questions and watching body language.
Boost their self-esteem when appropriate; it may lower undue compliance and increase honest choice.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Previous research indicates that autistic individuals are more likely to be bullied, and that they experience heightened anxiety and diminished self-esteem. These factors are known to predict heightened compliance, which is the tendency to agree with or carry out the requests and demands of others. This has a range of potentially serious consequences, particularly for an autistic person. This study utilised self-report (the Gudjonsson Compliance Scale) and behavioural measures of compliance (the door-in-the-face task) with 26 autistic and 26 typically developing adults. Participants also completed measures of early life bullying experiences, anxiety and self-esteem. Autistic participants were more compliant on both self-report and experimental tasks, and they reported more bullying experiences, higher anxiety and reduced self-esteem. Looking at both groups, bullying, anxiety and self-esteem were all correlated with self-reported compliance on the Gudjonsson Compliance Scale, yet only self-esteem was a unique predictor. None of these predictor variables related to behavioural compliance on the door in the face; nor did Gudjonsson Compliance Scale scores predict door-in-the-face performance, which may be better explained by situational and motivational factors. Findings have important implications for a range of real-life settings including requests made in the context of research, schools, the criminal justice system and the workplace.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2019 · doi:10.1177/1362361318795479