Scoping review of interventions supporting self-management of life tasks for youth with high functioning ASD

ABSTRACT

Youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have poor post-secondary outcomes, including those with high-functioning ASD (HFASD), who do not have intellectual disability. Special education services for youth with HFASD often focus on academic outcomes rather than preparing students for negotiating other aspects of adult life. This scoping review aims to synthesize research describing interventions that could be delivered in schools to support students with HFASD develop the ability to self-manage daily life tasks. A review of six databases and citation tracking was performed to identify interventions that can be implemented in a school setting to support youth with HFASD learn self-management of daily life tasks. Data related to intervention content and level of evidence were extracted from selected articles. The 14 articles that met inclusion criteria included eight unique interventions categorized into six intervention types. Three interventions qualified as evidence-based, two were research-based, and one intervention was considered unestablished. All met at least eight of the 15 best-practice recommendations. There are gaps between what is currently being recommended as best-practice for transition planning and available evidence-based interventions that improve self-management of daily life tasks in youth with HFASD.