"Everyone Uses Different Skills and Resources to Live Independently": A Brief Report on Autistic Young Adults' Perspectives on Independence and Daily Living Skills.

purposeService providers and researchers need a better understanding of autistic perspectives on independence and daily living skills (DLS). These perspectives will help service providers and researchers create meaningful, accessible, and effective supports that promote the type of independence autistic people desire. We address this knowledge gap by asking autistic young adults about their perspectives on independence, and how DLS help them meet their independence goals.

methodFifteen autistic young adults (ages 18–30 years) without co-occurring intellectual disability completed qualitative interviews. Participants provided reflections and insights about what living independently meant to them and how DLS were related to their independence goals. After transcribing and coding the interviews using NVivo, we used a modified grounded theory approach to generate summative themes.

resultsThematic analysis revealed five summative themes: (1) self-sufficiency and autonomy, (2) varying levels of support to promote independence, (3) barriers to achieving desired level of independence, (4) the link between DLS and independence, and (5) distance between ‘normative’ standards of independence and the level of supports autistic adults desire to maximize their quality of life.

conclusionAutistic young adults provided insights into the numerous ways they conceptualize and achieve their independence goals and highlighted heterogeneity in what ideal levels of independence look like for them. Participants reflected on the relationship between completing DLS – both with and without supports – and meeting their personal goals for independence. Our findings suggest that the heterogeneity of varying levels of independence goals sought by autistic young adults reflects a diverse range of individual aspirations, abilities, and support needs.