Community Participation, Service Needs, and Health Outcomes Among Adults with Autism

The research conducted through this award focuses on identifying and documenting self-reported community participation preferences and experiences of autistic adults. Participating in communities is critical to maximizing health, independence, and well-being, while minimizing feeling of loneliness, anxiety, and depression. Although autistic adults experience social and communication differences, their desire to be active within their communities is similar to non-autistic peers. Data, however, is needed to understand desired aspects of community participation in order to inform service and support planning that aligns with the self-reported preferences of autistic adults. It is also critical to capture how services utilized and other person-level factors are associated with differing levels of community participation and differing community activities of importance to understand existing barriers and facilitators.