Parent advocacy is important for the transition outcomes of autistic youth. However, it is unclear whether parent advocacy efforts support or stifle youths' self-determination. This study examined concurrent (n = 180) and longitudinal (n = 134) associations between parent advocacy and transition-aged autistic youths' self-determination (as…

Background: Many parents are the primary caregivers for their adult children with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. While there can be many benefits of caregiving, there can also be negative consequences for the parent caregiver and, in turn, for their adult child with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. Given the…

Advocacy has long been heralded as a way to create change for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families. However, without an established measure, it is difficult to accurately characterize advocacy activities. Drawing from extant research, the Advocacy Activities Scale was developed to assess three…

Although services are critical for many transition-aged youth, it is unclear the extent to which autistic youth participate in decisions about their services. By exploring the perceptions of autistic youth about their role in services, interventions can be developed to improve their participation. In this study, we interviewed 43 transition-aged…

Although family-centeredness is a tenet of early intervention, families often report struggling to meaningfully participate in decision-making. To increase family involvement, in the United States Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) and service coordinators are charged with educating and empowering families to advocate for their…