Exploring community mobility and participation of autistic adults using smartphone-based Global Positioning System and ecological momentary assessment - Drexel University, in partnership with Temple University, and key stakeholders, will generate new knowledge and expand the understanding of daily living of autistic adults regarding their community mobility and participation during this three-year project. The goal of this project is to provide a complete picture of the real-world community mobility and participation and explore enabling environmental factors that associate with mobility and participation. Based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health framework, the objectives are to 1) explore enabling environmental variables (including natural, built, service, and social environments) that may contribute to community mobility and participation of autistic adults; and 2) examine how the interplays of health condition, body function and strcuture, daily living activity, personal factors, and environmental factors in shaping mobility and participation. Eighty autistic adults will be recruited for the study. Our study will involve geographical data (Global Positioning Systems [GPS] tracking over 14 days), momentary data (Ecological Momentary Assessment [EMA] over 14 days), survey-based data, and administrative and secondary data. Anticipated outcomes include: (1) autistic adults, families, providers, and other key stakeholders will have a better understanding of the needs of autistic adults in participating in different life domains; (2) expand the application of the state-of-the-art methodology – GPS and EMA in participation and disability research; (3) exploratory findings may yield new insights and lead to other research and new policies that promote participation. The expected products are peer-reviewed publications of our findings, presentations at national conferences, and fact sheets and dashboard with plain languages that can be widely disseminated to the autism community.
