The effect of Autism Spectrum Disorders on adaptive independent living skills in adults with severe intellectual disability.

Matson et al. (2009) looked at 234 adults who had both autism and severe intellectual disability.

The team recorded how well each person handled daily tasks like dressing, cooking, and money.

No treatment was given; the paper simply describes their skill levels.

The study only describes the group; it does not report gains, losses, or averages.

Because no numbers are shared, we cannot tell which skills were weakest or strongest.

Fujiura et al. (2018) show that adaptive gains stop in adolescence, so low adult scores are expected.

Gandhi et al. (2022) tracked Australian adults with ASD and ID and found most had poor community inclusion.

Lerner et al. (2012) asked whether housing type matters; after matching for skill level, congregate and non-congregate homes produced similar outcomes, extending the 2009 snapshot by adding a real-world variable.

Hume et al. (2009) review three ways to boost independence—self-monitoring, video modeling, and structured work systems—offering tools that could lift the low skills the 2009 paper simply describes.

You now know that adults with ASD plus severe ID usually plateau in daily living skills and face poor community inclusion. Use Kara’s trio of evidence-based tactics—self-checklists, short video models, and visual work systems—to keep teaching past the plateau. Start small: pick one routine like making instant noodles, film a 30-second clip of each step, and let the learner press play instead of waiting for staff prompts.