The Role of Social Drivers of Health in Communication Abilities of Autistic Adolescents and Young Adults
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| Title: | The Role of Social Drivers of Health in Communication Abilities of Autistic Adolescents and Young Adults |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Teresa Girolamo (ORCID |
| Source: | Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice. 2026 30(2):329-345. |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 17 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Autism Spectrum Disorders, Adolescents, Young Adults, Health, Communication Skills, Social Influences, Barriers, Needs, Community, Correlation, Language Skills |
| Assessment and Survey Identifiers: | Social Responsiveness Scale, Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Raven Progressive Matrices, National Longitudinal Transition Study of Special Education Students |
| DOI: | 10.1177/13623613251380448 |
| ISSN: | 1362-3613 1461-7005 |
| Abstract: | Despite their relevance to outcomes in autism, little is known about how social drivers of health affect communication, especially in transition-aged autistic adolescents and young adults with structural language impairment. This knowledge gap limits our understanding of developmental trajectories and the ability to develop supports. This cross-sectional study examined the role of social drivers of health in the communication abilities of autistic individuals ages 13-30. Participants (N = 73) completed language, nonverbal cognitive assessments, and social drivers of health (sense of community, unmet services, barriers to services) measures. Data were analyzed descriptively and using mixed-effects modeling. More unmet service needs, more barriers to services, and a lower sense of community were associated with greater social communication impairment. In turn, both unmet service needs and barriers to services were negatively associated with functional communication. In regression modeling, language scores contributed to functional communication, and sense of community to social communication impairment. Findings support the relevance of language and social drivers of health in communication. Future work should focus on possible bidirectional relationships between these variables and explore and real-world translation. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1494608 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| Abstract: | Despite their relevance to outcomes in autism, little is known about how social drivers of health affect communication, especially in transition-aged autistic adolescents and young adults with structural language impairment. This knowledge gap limits our understanding of developmental trajectories and the ability to develop supports. This cross-sectional study examined the role of social drivers of health in the communication abilities of autistic individuals ages 13-30. Participants (N = 73) completed language, nonverbal cognitive assessments, and social drivers of health (sense of community, unmet services, barriers to services) measures. Data were analyzed descriptively and using mixed-effects modeling. More unmet service needs, more barriers to services, and a lower sense of community were associated with greater social communication impairment. In turn, both unmet service needs and barriers to services were negatively associated with functional communication. In regression modeling, language scores contributed to functional communication, and sense of community to social communication impairment. Findings support the relevance of language and social drivers of health in communication. Future work should focus on possible bidirectional relationships between these variables and explore and real-world translation. |
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| ISSN: | 1362-3613 1461-7005 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/13623613251380448 |
