Promoting Self-Determination in Young Adults with Autism: A Multicenter, Mixed Methods Study.
A group self-determination course for autistic college students produced small, non-significant gains yet high praise and clear tips for running the groups.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Andrés-Gárriz et al. (2025) ran a multi-center RCT with autistic young adults. Half joined a group program that taught goal-setting, choice-making, and self-advocacy. The rest received usual college supports.
The team mixed surveys and interviews. They tracked self-determination scores and asked students what helped or hindered the lessons.
What they found
Numbers moved in the right direction but did not reach significance. Students in the program reported slightly more agentic actions and overall self-determination.
Qualitative interviews told a brighter story. Attendees liked the sessions and could list exact skills they tried at work or in class. They also told the researchers how to run the groups better next time.
How this fits with other research
Gantman et al. (2012) showed large social gains with the PEERS program, while Clara’s self-determination program produced only small effects. The difference is target: PEERS drills concrete social scripts; Clara’s lessons focus on internal choice-making. Both use group delivery, so format is not the limiter—content is.
Robeson et al. (2026) also saw small gains after campus PEERS. Together the two studies flag a ceiling for brief group interventions in college students who already function well. Small samples and wide confidence intervals may hide real but modest benefits.
Gilmore et al. (2023) tracked healthcare independence for a year and found, like Clara, that autistic young adults rate themselves as growing, while caregivers barely notice the change. The pattern suggests we should ask clients directly, not only proxies, when measuring self-determination.
Why it matters
You can borrow the program manual today even if the stats are soft. Students liked short weekly meetings, visual goal sheets, and peer role-play. They disliked long lectures and generic worksheets. Keep sessions under 90 minutes, let learners pick personal goals, and add a campus mentor for follow-up. Track progress with student-rated scales first, caregiver second.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Add a five-minute goal-setting routine to your current social-skills group and let each student state one choice they will make that week.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Young people with autism have support needs related to self-determination that are currently not adequately addressed in Spain. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness, implementation, and acceptability of a program to support self-determination for young adults with autism in Spain. A multicenter, mixed methods randomized controlled trial (RCT) study was conducted (2020-2022). Young adults with autism between 17 and 30 years of age were recruited, and 40 were randomly assigned to the intervention or waiting-list group. Quantitative and qualitative data on outcomes relating to self-determination, program implementation and acceptability were collected at baseline, during, and after the intervention using several tools, including the SDI: SR and focus groups. Joint displays were used to integrate the quantitative and qualitative results for a comprehensive evaluation of the program. The quantitative results revealed no significant differences between the intervention and waiting list groups but indicated positive impacts on agentic actions and overall self-determination as reported by participants and caregivers. The qualitative results expanded the quantitative results by identifying personal and contextual barriers and facilitators of self-determination while offering deeper insights into the quantitative outcomes. Implementation fidelity was high, and the qualitative data provided areas for improvement and identified challenges and best practices. Program acceptability was high, and the group format proved useful. Our study provides the first empirical evidence of an intervention designed to promote self-determination in individuals with autism in Spain, but further research is needed. This trial was retrospectively registered at www.clinicaltrial.org (NCT05938751) on January 1st, 2023.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2025 · doi:10.1177/20597991231188121