Results of a RCT on a Transition Support Program for Adults with ASD: Effects on Self-Determination and Quality of Life.
A 10-week group class gives small boosts in self-determination and quality of life for adults with autism.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Nadig et al. (2018) ran a 10-week group class for adults with autism. No intellectual disability was required to join.
Each week the class met to practice social talk, plan goals, and solve work-place problems. Adults filled out surveys before and after.
What they found
After the course, adults said they felt more in charge of their own lives. Their quality-of-life scores also inched up.
The gains were small but real when compared with adults who waited for the class.
How this fits with other research
Burrows et al. (2018) tested a teacher-coach program for high-school students with autism. That study saw very large gains in meeting IEP goals. The new adult class shows the same idea—teach transition skills—can still help after graduation, just with smaller pay-offs.
Schall et al. (2020) went further. They paired young adults with autism with paid office internships. Three out of four got real jobs, a much bigger life change than the small self-ratings seen here. Group lessons may prime the pump, but paid work experience fills the cup.
Van Gaasbeek et al. (2026) looked back at early ABA for young children. Those kids made large jumps in daily skills and later quality of life. The adult class adds a later piece to the same puzzle: skill building can still matter in the twenties.
Why it matters
If you serve adults with autism who already talk and live semi-independently, a short group course is easy to run and cheap. It won’t create jobs overnight, but it can lift self-confidence and keep clients engaged while you line up internships or coaching. Use the class as a stepping stone, not the finish line.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Few evidence-based services exist for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as they transition into adulthood, particularly those that foster appreciation of one's own goals and strengths. We developed a transition service for adults with ASD (without Intellectual Disability), and conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) focusing on self-report of Quality of Life and Self-Determination outcomes. Thirty participants aged 18-29 were randomized to immediate or delayed intervention, with 26 participants analyzed after 4 were lost to follow-up. Curriculum was tailored to participants' self-expressed needs in three areas: social communication, self-determination, and working with others. Groups of four-to-six participants with ASD and two facilitators met weekly for 10 weeks. Positive intervention effects were observed on self-report of Quality of Life; the intervention group scored on average 2 points higher than the control group, 95% CI [-0.2, 3.9]. Positive effects were also observed on the Self Determination Scale (Interpersonal Cognitive Problem-Solving subdomain), where the intervention group scored 2 points higher than control group 95% CI [0.082, 3.4]. In addition, participants rated skills targeted by the curriculum 6 points higher after versus before intervention, 95% CI [3.7, 8.6]. This was echoed by a subset of parents rating their child's skills as seven points higher after versus before intervention, 95% CI [1, 14]. Autism Research 2018, 11: 1712-1728. © 2018 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: These findings indicate that it is possible to increase Self-Determination and subjective Quality of Life in adults with ASD through a brief group-format service, and provide a model for doing so. Self-Determination abilities are linked to improved adult outcomes in individuals with other disabilities. These often overlooked factors should be incorporated in programming for adults with ASD as they transition to adulthood.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2018 · doi:10.1002/aur.2027