Promoting Self-Determination in Young Adults with Autism: A Multicenter, Mixed Methods Study.

This was a randomised controlled trial — people were assigned to treatments by chance, which is the most reliable way to tell whether a treatment itself caused a change.

The number of people who took part is not stated in this record, so the result cannot be judged on size.

The abstract does not include a conclusions section, so this page does not state what the researchers concluded.

This record does not state:

• the ages of the people who took part
• how long the study ran

This is a plain-language summary of one paper's abstract, not medical advice. Talk to your child's clinician before changing anything.

Journal: Journal of autism and developmental disorders

Year: 2026

Design: Randomized Controlled Trial

Intervention: self-determination promotion program

Authors: Clara Andrés-Gárriz, Núria Farriols Hernando, Antonia Maria Gómez Hinojosa, Teresa Pretel-Luque, Sergi Fàbregues, Cristina Mumbardó-Adam

Young people with autism have support needs related to self-determination that are currently not adequately addressed in Spain. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness, implementation, and acceptability of a program to support self-determination for young adults with autism in Spain. A multicenter, mixed methods randomized controlled trial (RCT) study was conducted (2020-2022). Young adults with autism between 17 and 30 years of age were recruited, and 40 were randomly assigned to the intervention or waiting-list group. Quantitative and qualitative data on outcomes relating to self-determination, program implementation and acceptability were collected at baseline, during, and after the intervention using several tools, including the SDI: SR and focus groups. Joint displays were used to integrate the quantitative and qualitative results for a comprehensive evaluation of the program. The quantitative results revealed no significant differences between the intervention and waiting list groups but indicated positive impacts on agentic actions and overall self-determination as reported by participants and caregivers. The qualitative results expanded the quantitative results by identifying personal and contextual barriers and facilitators of self-determination while offering deeper insights into the quantitative outcomes. Implementation fidelity was high, and the qualitative data provided areas for improvement and identified challenges and best practices. Program acceptability was high, and the group format proved useful. Our study provides the first empirical evidence of an intervention designed to promote self-determination in individuals with autism in Spain, but further research is needed. This trial was retrospectively registered at www.clinicaltrial.org (NCT05938751) on January 1st, 2023.

Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2026

PMID 39954217

DOI 10.1007/s10803-025-06739-6

This record was extracted from the paper's PubMed abstract and metadata. Full-text methods and risk-of-bias details were not reviewed.