There is research that suggests that individuals on the autism spectrum experience a much lower quality of life than nonautistic individuals across the lifespan. Quality of Life can be measured by happiness, which is considered a private event by behavior analysts. Indices of happiness are those observable behaviors that likely signal happiness, including smiling, laughing, and the absence of challenging behaviors. Both leisure skills and recreational skills are all ways to be happy yet are not often taught or included in programming or households living with autism.

Kely & Jen dive into the research and talk about the ways that Kelly has programmed for leisure and recreational skills and Jen has taught her own severely impacted son to have a very happy life.

Sponsored by: Cite Pro DEFINING, VALIDATING, AND INCREASING INDICES OF HAPPINESS AMONG PEOPLE WITH PROFOUND MULTIPLE DISABILITIES - Green - 1996 - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis - Wiley Online Library Defining and Measuring Indices of Happiness and Unhappiness in Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder | Behavior Analysis in Practice (springer.com)