TEAM Webinar: APA Series: Adaptive Skills: Gaps and Skill Development in Autistic Youth

Adaptive skills play a central role in an autistic youth’s day-to-day functioning, independence, participation, and quality of life. This presentation will examine common patterns of adaptive skill development in autistic youth, including situations in which adaptive functioning may lag behind cognitive, academic, or language abilities. Participants will explore factors that may contribute to adaptive skill gaps, including differences in executive functioning, communication, sensory processing, motor skills, learning opportunities, environmental expectations, and access to appropriate supports. The presentation will provide a practical framework for identifying meaningful skill-development priorities and using individualized scaffolding, teaching, and environmental supports to promote functional independence and generalization across settings. 

Learning Objectives 

By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to: 

1. Identify the major domains of adaptive functioning and describe how adaptive skills may differ from cognitive, academic, or language abilities in autistic youth.
2. Identify at least four factors that may contribute to adaptive skill gaps in autistic youth, including neurodevelopmental characteristics and environmental influences.
3. Describe at least three evidence-informed strategies for scaffolding adaptive skill development and promoting generalization and independence across people, settings, and routines.

Presented by Jennifer Sykes, PhD, this webinar is designed for psychologists, social workers, counselors, and other professionals working with individuals with autism.

Please register in advance at: https://umsystem.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_uJ87PFu5QxSi3TkLw2h1NA