Abstract
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have poor outcomes in adulthood when compared to same-aged peers in every area that is typically evaluated. This is seemingly due to a combination of poor preparation leading up to the transition to adulthood and the limited access to effective, highly individualized adult services. Effective intervention, which requires the merge of evidence-based intervention with individualized, meaningful curriculum applied in the context of the complexities in the lives of students and/or clients, is recommended to help improve these outcomes. Meaningful curriculum and functional intervention are defined, and recommendations are provided for practitioners, including practice considerations, socially significant goal selection, use of commercially available tools, respectful intervention, safety considerations, challenging behavior, future planning, and generalization and maintenance. Ultimately, a highly individualized curriculum, inclusive of the individual’s unique needs and interests that prioritize what is most important to their life, is recommended, with the intention of building independence in both current and future environments and improving quality of life.
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Bahry, S.N., Cauchi, J., Driscoll, N.M., Gerhardt, P.F. (2022). Meaningful Curriculum and Functional Intervention for Adults with Autism. In: Leaf, J.B., Cihon, J.H., Ferguson, J.L., Gerhardt, P.F. (eds) Handbook of Quality of Life for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism and Child Psychopathology Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-98507-3_18
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