The limited but emerging research on adult outcomes for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) reports less community participation, social interaction, paid employment, and independent living compared to typically developing peers and other disability groups. However, little is known about the daily activities of adults with ASD and factors that influence participation. The current study combines innovative Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) measures to describe realtime community integration activities of adults with ASD living with family or in a group home, and investigates critical person and environmental factors associated with participation. Participants will use GPS trackers to capture time away from home, distance traveled, and locations visited for seven days. GIS technology will integrate GPS travel data to create maps of activity locations and assess environmental accessibility related to service use and participation. Follow-up qualitative interviews will assess the importance of community activities and barriers to integration. These results will be combined with adult outcome survey data from a larger study to examine the role of personal factors such as motivation and skill level in a variety of areas (for example communication, vocational, social, and daily living skills) on community participation. The relationship between participation, service use, and caregiver support will also be examined.
Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC)
Autism Research Database (AFD)
