"I like others to not try to fix me": agency, independence, and autism.

Rossetti et al. (2008) talked with autistic people who type to communicate. They asked how these adults see independence and control in their lives.

The study used long interviews. Facilitators helped some participants type answers. The goal was to hear their own words, not caregiver guesses.

The typers said independence is not doing everything alone. It is using the right supports and staying in charge of choices.

They showed clear agency. They told helpers when to step in or back off. They wanted respect, not fixing.

Cribb et al. (2019) asked young autistic adults the same questions. They also linked feeling in control to trusted supports, not solo living.

Huang et al. (2026) found Chinese parents echo this view. They see independence as a family project, not one-person task completion.

Green et al. (2020) seems to disagree. Their survey said many autistic young adults lack self-determination skills. The gap comes from who answered. C et al. used caregiver reports and included people with severe ID. Zachary listened only to typers speaking for themselves.

If you write goals for typing clients, drop the myth of total solo living. Build goals around choosing when and how to use supports. Ask, "What help lets you stay boss?" not "How do we fade all help?" Start sessions by letting the client set the agenda and stop any prompt they dislike. This keeps therapy aligned with their own view of independence.