Empowering Caregivers to Promote Child Independence

The proposed study aims to address the unique needs of caregivers and their adolescent children with profound autism. The constant supervision and 24/7 care that caregivers need to provide their children to ensure their health and safety often leaves little time for household duties, self-care routines, and spending time with family and friends. Investigators aim to alleviate the vigilant monitoring provided by caregivers for brief periods by increasing their child's independent, sustained engagement in meaningful activities and improving the quality of life for both adolescents with profound autism and their caregivers. Caregivers will either receive training to use picture-based activity schedules or continue with their usual routines. After the study, caregivers who continued their usual routines will also be offered the training. Investigators will evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the training based on the children's performance, pre- and post-study improvement ratings, and caregiver feedback.