Identifying Daily Living Skills From Childhood and Adolescence Predictive of Adult Outcomes in a Longitudinal Study of Autism and Related Developmental Conditions

Abstract

Challenges in daily living skills (DLS) are well-documented in autism and other developmental conditions. Research has also cataloged challenges in adult outcome attainment among autistic individuals and those with other developmental conditions; stronger DLS are associated with a higher likelihood of attaining some adult outcomes. Little work has examined whether competency in specific DLS increases the likelihood of attaining adult outcomes. The current study examined mean item set scores from the DLS domain of the first and second editions of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS) in a sample (n = 230) drawn from a well-characterized longitudinal cohort. Differences in growth patterns in DLS item set scores based on cognitive ability were examined from ages 5–18. The utility of DLS item set scores from ages 5, 9, 14, and 18 for predicting adult employment, relationship, living, and well-being outcomes at approximately age 33 was then tested. For all participants, DLS item sets from the community subdomain (i.e., eating out skills, pre-job skills) were low throughout childhood and showed the least growth over time. For participants with IQ < 70, personal subdomain item sets (i.e., bathing, health) had the most predictive utility. For participants with IQ > 70, community subdomain item sets had the most predictive utility. Competency in personal DLS may promote positive outcomes for autistic individuals with IQ < 70; competency in community DLS may be more important to supporting outcomes for autistic individuals with average or higher IQ. These results could inform interventions intended to promote adult success.