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National Autism Indicators Report 2017:

Developmental Disability Services and Outcomes


Paul Shattuck, PhD; Anne Roux, MPH, MA; Jessica Rast, MPH; Kristy Anderson, MSW

Background Work and day activities


At a glance: Outcomes of adults with ASD who got DD services
Since 2015, we have produced a National Autism Of adults with ASD who participated in the ACS, work and
Indicators Report. The past two reports showed that activities were reported for the two weeks prior to the survey.
adults with autism have difficulty transitioning into jobs. Some participated in more than one type of work or activity.
This 2017 report delved into the lives and needs of
adults who use developmental disability (DD) services
an estimated 111,000 nationwide.

Data
The Adult Consumer Survey (ACS) is part of the
National Core Indicators (NCI) - a collaboration of the
National Association of State Directors of
Developmental Disabilities Services and the Human
Services Research Institute.

Our findings describe the 3,520 working-age adults


(18-64 years) with ASD, who were no longer in high
school, and were using DD services when they
participated in the 2014-2015 ACS survey between
July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2015.

Data was collected through review of state


documents, interviews with people who received DD
services, and/or interviews with someone who knew
the person well if needed.

The ACS is not a nationally representative survey of


all adults with ASD. Findings cannot be used to make
inferences to the general population of individuals on
the autism spectrum.

Population characteristics

Mean age was 34 years - eight years younger than


DD service users who did not have ASD. Recommendations
Half (51%) of middle-aged adults (45-64 years) with Knowledge gaps and future research priorities:
ASD had severe or profound intellectual disability (ID),
compared to only 16% of young adults (18-24 years) There were many discrepancies between what we know from
with ASD. other research versus the statistics derived from the Adult
Consumer Survey (ACS) data.
In some states all adults with ASD also had ID, while
in other states approximately half had ID - likely We still know very little about which types of DD services work
reflecting differences in state policy about who qualifies best for whom, or which related state policies result in the best
for DD services. outcomes.
The report is free to download at: It is difficult to reconcile the ACS statistics about high levels of
Younger adults with ASD were more likely to use
spoken language as their primary means of expression drexel.edu/autismoutcomes services satisfaction with anecdotal reports to the contrary.
than middle-aged adults with ASD.

Citing the report: Roux, Anne M., Rast, Jessica E., Anderson, Kristy A., and Shattuck, Paul T. National Autism Indicators Report: Developmental This report was made possible by a generous private donation to the Life Course Outcomes Research Program. This project was also
Disability Services and Outcomes in Adulthood. Philadelphia, PA: Life Course Outcomes Program, A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, Drexel University, 2017. supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under
grant number, UA6MC27364, and title, Health Care Transitions Research Network for Youth and Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders
The report is free to download at: drexel.edu/autismoutcomes/autismindicators2017 for the grant amount of $900,000. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the
official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.

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