A guide to indicators for the evaluation of specialist autism centres, based on the quality-of-life model

Abstract

Objective: The evaluation of individual and organizational quality of life through the Guide to Quality-of-Life Indicators and its promotion in English-speaking areas. This guide was initially designed for people living with Autism Spectrum Disorder in specialist autism centers in Spanish and Italian-speaking areas where its effectiveness has been validated.

Method: The Delphi technique is applied to the design of a qualitative investigation, with expert validation for the adaptation to English-speaking areas.

Results: The results have facilitated the adaptation and validation of the tool, which has 68 indicators grouped into six areas, for its application in both the planning and the evaluation processes of organizations and support services in English-speaking areas.

Conclusion: The adaptation of the questionnaire on QoL indicators for people with ASD is a reliable service-provision tool intended to assess integrated programs and to improve them throughout their life-cycles; this aim is approached from the objective perspective and through a subjective evaluation. The Guide will require further updating and review procedures as new needs and contexts emerge.

Keywords:

• quality of life
• education
• people with ASD
• ASD
• indicators
• validation
• adaptation
• autism