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Editorial
. 2025 Jul;64(7):761-764.
doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2024.12.012. Epub 2025 Feb 19.

What About Life Skills? Tailoring Interventions for Autism and Beyond

Elaine B Clarke  1 , Amie Duncan  2 , Catherine Lord  3
Affiliations
Editorial

What About Life Skills? Tailoring Interventions for Autism and Beyond

Elaine B Clarke et al. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2025 Jul.

Abstract

Nearly 50 years of research have carefully documented daily living skills (DLS) deficits in individuals with autism spectrum disorder, which emerge early in life, appear to persist across development, and seem to affect people across this very heterogeneous condition.1 The terminology and measures used to quantify life skills challenges vary across conditions, but such deficits are also common in people with intellectual disability, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, internalizing and externalizing disorders, and schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders.2 Though deficits in life skills are not a diagnostic criterion for autism, they should be a focus of support and treatment across the life span.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Catherine Lord acknowledges the receipt of royalties from the sale of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R). Royalties generated from this study were donated to a not-for-profit agency, Have Dreams. Elaine B. Clarke and Amie Duncan have reported no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1. Sample Written Contract for Ethan’s Surviving and Thriving in the Real World Intervention Plan
Note: This case study is a fictionalized composite based on the authors’ extensive clinical experience with autistic youth. Please note color figures are available online.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Clarke EB, McCauley JB, Lord C. Post-high school daily living skills outcomes in autism spectrum disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2021;60(8):978–985. 10.1016/j.jaac.2020.11.008 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ditterline J, Oakland T, McGoldrick KD. Relationships between adaptive behavior and impairment. In: Goldstein S, Naglieri JA, eds. Assessing Impairment: From Theory to Practice. New York, NY: Springer; 2016:45–70.
    1. Glover M, Liddle M, Fassler C, Duncan A. Microanalysis of daily living skills in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder without an intellectual disability. J Autism Dev Disord. 2023;53:2600–2612. 10.1007/s10803-022-05495-1 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Duncan A, Meinzen-Derr J, Ruble L, et al. A randomized clinical trial targeting daily living skills in autistic adolescents without an intellectual disability before the transition to adulthood. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2023;44(9):e590–e596. 10.1097/DBP.0000000000001222 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Drahota A, Wood JJ, Sze KM, et al. Effects of cognitive behavioral therapy on daily living skills in children with high-functioning autism and concurrent anxiety disorders. J Autism Dev Disord. 2011;41:257–265. 10.1007/s10803-010-1037-4 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

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