Autism spectrum disorder, commonly referred to as “ASD”, is a neurodevelopmental disorder. This condition is associated with ranging of social, communication, behavioral, and developmental deficits from person to person (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The continuum of variance in presentation, severity, manifestation, and co-occurring conditions from person to person with autism. ASD is considered to fall on a “spectrum” where significant variability exists and symptoms range from mild to severe (Hyman et al., 2020), necessitating a need to provide tailored support for both individuals with autism and their families.
In the United States, current trends indicate that 1 in 36 children are diagnosed with ASD (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023). While boys are diagnosed 3 to 4 times more commonly than girls (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023; Driver & Chester, 2021), there are many reasons that girls on the spectrum may be overlooked or misdiagnosed (Hull et al., 2020; Wood-Downie et al., 2021). People with ASD and their families often require support given the myriad of challenges associated with this condition. Like with other things, people with ASD may prefer to be referred to as “autistic person” or “person with autism.” It can be important to talk with clients, students, and families on their preferences to be inclusive and respectful. (As such, “people / individuals with autism” and “autistic person” will be used interchangeably throughout this blog post.)
The autistic community may need assistance to support life in various settings, including school, work, and relationships. For those on the spectrum, there is a high prevalence of other co-occurring conditions (e.g., anxiety, depression, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, intellectual disability, eating disorders; Boltri et al., 2021; Lai et al., 2019; Micai et al., 2023; Rosen et al., 2018). Given that life is often predicated on social interaction and engagement, navigating life for people with ASD can pose a wide array of challenges. Family members, including parents and siblings, may offer integral support and guidance. Despite the documented joys and rewards associated with supporting a family member with autism (Marsack-Topolewski et al., 2021; Montoya et al., 2025), family members commonly experience challenges with providing support to their loved ones (Marsack-Topolewski et al., 2024; Oti-Boadi et al., 2020). It can be challenging for family members to balance the needs of someone with ASD. As such, professionals and providers can offer integral support to address the various needs of the autistic community and their families.
Support should be individualized and tailored to meet the needs of people with autism and their family units. Help with navigating and connecting with appropriate informational resources, programs, and services can be instrumental. Providers can also provide a wide array of needed services. In terms of support and treatment, the options range and should be individualized to meet the needs of each person given their presenting characteristics and situation. A range of treatments and support may be relevant, including clinical services, occupational therapy, speech therapy, behavior therapies, medication and medication management, as well as other medical services.
From an educational perspective, support across the lifespan can be instrumental and nurturing and fostering outcomes for individuals with ASD. In childhood and adolescence, tailored educational support from Applied Behavioral Analysis to specialized instruction in the school setting can offer endless benefits. As individuals with autism age across the lifespan they may benefit from support in a post-secondary education setting (e.g., college, trade school) or on the job (e.g., job training, job coaching).
A number of supports and interventions have been found to be helpful for people with autism, including:
- Social stories,
- Visual schedules or self-monitoring schedules,
- Role playing,
- Video modeling,
- Comic strip conversations, and
- Social behavior mapping (Roberts et al., 2021; Qi et al., 2020).
Often, people with autism benefit from visual supports and explicit instruction (Liang et al., 2024; Sulu et al., 2023). People with autism tend to be concrete and experience great benefit from utilizing visuals and visual reminders. Visual supports can have various types of presentation (e.g., use of pictures, use of words) to help people with autism in the classroom, on the job, or in everyday life. They can be used to enable greater independence, reduce anxiety, and support self-efficacy (Curtin & Long, 2021). While it may be common for learning to happen naturally (e.g., through observation) for many people, autistic people may need explicit instruction. Explicit instruction is when content is taught directly and in a deliberate fashion (Hughes et al., 2022). People with autism often most optimally learn when teaching is delivered in a structured, deliberate, and predictable manner. Breaking down concepts and skills into concrete, digestible chunks and smaller steps can make learning a new task easier. For example, social stories are short readings that can be used to explicitly teach social nuances, social skills, and how to navigate various social settings and situations (Gray, 2021).
As more and more people are being diagnosed with ASD, social workers, counselors, and other behavioral health providers will continue to be a needed professional resource to support young children through older adults with autism. The autistic community and families supporting their loved ones need tailored information, resources, and services as they navigate transitions and challenges across the lifespan. The opportunities to support are endless and can be truly rewarding. Many benefits, rewards, and documented “joys” exist for both family members and professionals working with the autistic community. Please join CE Learning Systems on April 25th for a live webinar on tailored supports, strategies, and approaches focused on supporting adolescents and young adults. You can find the event on MakeAnImpact.com.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).
Boltri, M., & Sapuppo, W. (2021). Anorexia nervosa and autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review. Psychiatry Research, 306, 114271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114271
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2023). Data and statistics on autism spectrum disorder. Author. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html
Curtin, A., & Long, S. (2021). Using visual schedules to support children with autism spectrum disorder. Learn: Journal of the Irish Learning Support Association, 42, 61-70.
Driver, B., & Chester, V. (2021). The presentation, recognition and diagnosis of autism in women and girls. Advances in Autism, 7(3), 194-207. https://doi.org/10.1108/AIA-12-2019-0050
Gray, C. (2021). Social stories™. In Storytelling, Special Needs and Disabilities (pp. 152-158). Routledge.
Hughes, C. A., Riccomini, P. J., & Dexter, C. A. (2022). Use explicit instruction. In High leverage practices for inclusive classrooms (pp. 235-264). Routledge.
Hull, L., Petrides, K. V., & Mandy, W. (2020). The female autism phenotype and camouflaging: A narrative review. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 7, 306-317. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-020-00197-9
Hyman S. L., Levy S. E., Myers S. M., Kuo D. Z., Apkon S., Davidson L. F., Ellerbeck K. A., Foster J. E., Noritz G. H., O’Connor Leppert M., Saunders B. S., Stille C., Yin L., Weitzman C. C., Omer Childers D., Levine J. M., Peralta-Carcele A. M., Poon J. K., Smith P. J.,. . .Bridgemohan C. (2020). Identification, evaluation, and management of children with autism spectrum disorder. Pediatrics, 145(1), Article e20193447. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-3447
Lai, M. C., Kassee, C., Besney, R., Bonato, S., Hull, L., Mandy, W., Szatmari, P., & Ameis, S. H. (2019). Prevalence of co-occurring mental health diagnoses in the autism population: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Psychiatry, 6(10), 819-829. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(19)30289-5
Liang, Z., Lee, D., Zuo, J., & Liang, S. (2024). The use of visual schedules to increase academic-related on-task behaviors of individuals with autism: A literature review. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/20473869.2024.2402124
Micai, M., Fatta, L. M., Gila, L., Caruso, A., Salvitti, T., Fulceri, F., Ciaramella, A., D’Amico, R., Del Giovane, C., Bertelli, M., Romano, G., Jens Schünemann, H., & Scattoni, M. L. (2023). Prevalence of co-occurring conditions in children and adults with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 155, 105436. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105436
Marsack‐Topolewski, C. N., Perry, T. E., & Chan, K. T. (2021). “I'm glad she chose me as her parent”: Rewards of caregiving for adults with autism. Family Relations, 70(5), 1465-1476. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12515
Marsack-Topolewski, C. N., & Samuel, P. S. (2024). Experiences of parental caregivers of adults with autism in navigating the world of employment. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-024-06381-8
Montoya, C. N., Ishler, K. J., Obeid, R., Payner, J., & Berg, K. A. (2025). “Glimmers of hope and good things”: Positive aspects of caregiving to autistic adolescents and young adults. Autism, 29(1), 233-246. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613241272050
Oti-Boadi, M., Oppong Asante, K., & Malm, E. K. (2020). The experiences of ageing parents of young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Journal of Adult Development, 27(1), 58-69. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-018-09325-6
Qi, C. H., Barton, E. E., Collier, M., Lin, Y. L., & Montoya, C. (2018). A systematic review of effects of social stories interventions for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 33(1), 25-34. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088357615613516
Sulu, M. D., Martella, R. C., Toper, O., Marchand-Martella, N. E., & Kiyak, U. E. (2023). Explicit and systematic scripted instructional programs for students with autism spectrum disorder: An updated and extended review. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 10(2), 203-219. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-021-00284-5
Roberts, K., DeQuinzio, J. A., Taylor, B. A., & Petroski, J. (2021). Using behavioral skills training to teach interview skills to young adults with autism. Journal of Behavioral Education, 30, 664-683. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-020-09389-z
Rosen, T. E., Mazefsky, C. A., Vasa, R. A., & Lerner, M. D. (2018). Co-occurring psychiatric conditions in autism spectrum disorder. International Review of Psychiatry, 30(1), 40-61. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540261.2018.1450229
Wood-Downie, H., Wong, B., Kovshoff, H., Mandy, W., Hull, L., & Hadwin, J. A. (2021). Sex/gender differences in camouflaging in children and adolescents with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 51, 1353-1364. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04615-z
