Although limited, existing evidence suggests that person-centered principles have not been adequately translated into appropriate speech-language assessment and service delivery for autistic young adults (Forsgren et al., 2022; Savard et al., 2024), particularly those who are the least likely to be represented in the evidence base (e.g., culturally and linguistically diverse communities, autistic people who are non-speaking).
For example, U.S.-based autistic young adults report that services over-rely on approaches for young children (e.g., infant-directed speech), decontextualized activities that do not support navigating real-world settings (e.g., watching movies to identify emotions), and clinician-directed priorities (e.g., targeting social communication vs. self-identified priorities of stuttering and family supports; Santhanam & Hewitt, 2021).
In this editorial, we argue that speech-language services for autistic young adults must integrate three person-centered principles: (a) developmentally appropriate assessment and services that align with real-world needs; (b) shared decision-making or co-creation of goals with autistic young adults that align with personal priorities rather than prescribed expectations (Gaddy & Crow, 2023); and (c) holistic services that are responsive to contextual influences at the levels of interpersonal, community, and systems (Gregory & Atkinson, 2024)..
Supportive Services Driven by the Principles and Practices of ABA and Focused Towards Family Support
We work with families to provide ABA therapy in the home, community, school and via telehealth.
