Table 6. Stakeholders' mean priority ratings of ASD research topics from the initial and follow-up surveys.
Initial IAN Adult Survey Research Priority Topics (in order of SR rankings) | SR (n=255) | LR (n=143) | Follow-up Survey Research Priority Topics (based on Pellicano et al., 2014) (in order of SR2 rankings) | SR2 (n=102) | LR2 (n=60) | Pellicano et al. Sample (n=122) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Understanding/ Acceptance of Adults with ASD | 4.59(0.7)1 | 4.66(0.7)1 | How people with ASD think and learn | 4.74(0.5)1 | 4.59(0.8)4 | 4.28(0.9)4 |
Employment | 4.44(0.8)2 | 4.31(1.0)8 | How to improve the life skills of people with ASD | 4.54(0.7)2 | 4.80(0.4)1 | 4.54(0.8)2 |
Current treatments | 4.33(0.9)3 | 4.63(0.6)2 | Mental and emotional health in people with ASD | 4.54(0.7)2 | 4.50(0.6)5 | *4.05(1.0)6 |
Health care access | 4.33(0.8)4 | 4.59(0.7)3 | How the brains of people with ASD might be different from the brains of people without ASD | 4.43(0.8)3 | 4.28(0.9)8 | 3.87(1.1)7 |
Education | 4.28(0.9)5 | 4.23(0.8)10 | Recognizing the signs and symptoms of ASD | 4.37(0.8)4 | 4.32(1.0)7 | 4.28(0.9)4 |
Health conditions | 4.27(0.9)6 | 4.47(0.7)6 | How public services can best meet the needs of people with ASD | 4.36(0.8)5 | 4.68(0.6)3 | 4.59(0.7)1 |
Financial issues | 4.18(1.0)7 | 4.35(0.9)7 | What the future holds for adults with ASD | 4.27(0.9)6 | 4.35(0.8)6 | 4.43(0.9)3 |
Federal/state assistance | 4.05(0.8)8 | 4.55(1.0)4 | The role of people with ASD in society today | 4.17(0.9)7 | 4.08(1.0)10 | 4.15(1.1)5 |
Friendship | 4.04(1.0)9 | 3.88(1.0)13 | How to best treat the main symptoms of ASD | 4.16(1.0)8 | 4.78(0.5)2 | 3.77(1.2)9 |
Daily life | 3.94(1.0)10 | 4.29(0.9)9 | Learning about different types of ASD | 4.12(0.9)9 | 3.88(1.0)13 | 3.80(1.1)8 |
Criminal justice system | 3.93(1.1)11 | 4.19(1.0)11 | Physical health in people with ASD | 4.01(0.9)10 | 4.25(0.8)9 | *4.05(1.0)6 |
Living situation | 3.90(1.0)12 | 4.52(0.8)5 | The role of genetic factors in causing ASD | 3.91(1.0)11 | 4.07(1.0)11 | 3.45(1.2)10 |
Romantic relationships | 3.78(1.1)13 | 3.18(1.3)15 | The role of environmental factors in causing ASD | 3.70(1.1)12 | 4.05(1.1)12 | 3.22(1.3)12 |
Sexuality | 3.60(1.1)14 | 3.32(1.2)14 | Finding out how common ASD is (counting how many people have ASD) | 3.49(1.0)13 | 3.38(1.0)14 | 3.37(1.2)11 |
Transportation | 3.49(1.2)15 | 3.97(1.0)12 |
Note. SR=Initial self-reporting subsample; LR=Initial legally-authorized representative ratings about adult wards with ASD; SR2=Follow-up self-reporting subsample; LR2=Follow-up legally-authorized representative ratings about adult wards with ASD. Means (standard deviations) are shown within group based on priority ratings from 1=Not important at all to 5=Very important. Superscripts reflect relative priority ranking within sample (column).
Physical and Mental Health were combined into one item (“medical conditions”) for the Pellicano et al. sample.