Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Autistic individuals tend to have lower daily living skills than age-matched peers, and lower skills than what would be predicted by cognitive ability. What is less known are the mechanisms contributing to this profile. METHODS: This project aimed to examine the influence of anxiety and self-determination on low daily living skills (financial management, self-care, and home care) among autistic youth. A partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) was developed and tested with a sample of autistic transition-aged adolescents and adults (n = 79, ages 16 - 27, M age = 19.41). RESULTS: Autistic traits were found to have a significant, positive direct effect on anxiety. The only significant direct paths to daily living skills were from self-determination and cognitive ability, with self-determination having positive direct effects on all three daily living skills and cognitive ability positively relating to financial management. The proposed indirect paths were not significant. DISCUSSION: Self-determination may be a key mechanistic variable for promoting daily living skills in autistic youth, which could have implications for transition-focused supports.