Examining the Relationship Between Self-Determination and Quality of Life in Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

• Published in: Journal of developmental and physical disabilities Vol. 30; no. 6; pp. 735 - 754
• Main Authors: White, Keeley, Flanagan, Tara D., Nadig, Aparna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.12.2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Autism; Autism Spectrum Disorders; Autistic adults; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Child and School Psychology; Developmental disabilities; Employment; Intellectual disabilities; Life satisfaction; Life transitions; Original Article; Pediatrics; Psychology; Public Health; Quality of life; Questionnaires; Self determination; Self report; Young adults; Autism spectrum disorders; Intellectual functioning; Young adults; Self-determination; Quality of life
• ISSN: 1056-263X; 1573-3580
• DOI: 10.1007/s10882-018-9616-y

Promoting self-determination (SD) in youth with disabilities is positively related to better post-secondary outcomes, such as employment and independence. Despite extensive research into SD and quality of life (QoL) for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, the relation between the two has not been examined for young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) without intellectual disability (ID). The aim of this pilot study was to examine the relationship between two complementary measures of SD, namely the Arc’s Self-Determination Scale (Wehmeyer and Kelchner 1995 ) and the AIR Self-Determination Scale (Wolman et al. 1994 ), and QoL for young adults with ASD without ID. Thirty young adults with ASD without ID living in Canada completed self-report questionnaires of SD and QoL. Correlational analyses indicated that two measures of SD were significantly associated with QoL. Regression analyses revealed that individuals with higher SD scores reported higher perceptions of life satisfaction. Thus, SD, assessed by two complementary measures, was found to be positively associated with QoL. Subsequent research should further elucidate the association between SD and QoL and examine how best to promote SD as a means of enhancing the QoL of young adults with ASD as they transition into adulthood.