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Among the factors impacting functioning and quality of life in autism, aspects of the built environment have recently gained increasing attention. However, the opportunity of proposing a universal framework for cross-scalar examination of these factors remains largely unrealized. By narrowing the focus to public transport, a key component of urban spatial structure and urban mobility, this study explores the applicability of the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) in examining the built environmental factors that influence autism.
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Target audience
International, European, and Nordic organizations working with transport and mobility in and cities
The problem
Among the environmental factors influencing functioning in autism, the role of the built environment has recently garnered increasing scholarly attention. Architectural, spatial, and physical elements, whether through their presence or absence, can function as either barriers or facilitators within an individual’s environment. These can range from immediate personal settings to broader urban contexts such as public spaces. Nonetheless, the development of a universal or standardised framework that enables a cross-scalar analysis of these spatial and physical factors affecting autistic functioning remains an open question.
What we did and why
Through a scoping review of the academic literature on autism and public transport, we examined the applicability of the ICF as a research framework within disciplines concerned with the physical urban environment, with a particular focus on built environmental factors pertinent to autism. By conducting a literature review, we addressed two key questions: firstly, how autism is conceptualized within public transport research; and secondly, the extent to which the ICF is applicable for examining built environmental factors influencing autism.
Our study’s contribution
Our findings indicate that the ICF holds potential as a comprehensive framework for addressing built environmental factors influencing the functioning of autistic individuals across multiple spatial scales, including within public transport systems.
Our study introduces the ICF as a universally accepted framework that facilitates transdisciplinary collaboration among experts from diverse fields to tackle complex, real-world challenges. While the ICF has traditionally been applied within health-related disciplines, this research underscores its potential relevance to fields concerned with the built environment.
Impacts for city policy and practice
The primary audience for our study is researchers working at the intersection of autism and the built environment, seeking a holistic framework to investigate the spatial and physical characteristics of the built environment that impact functioning and quality of life in autism.
Our findings can be used to inform decision-making processes concerning the needs of the autistic community within public transport systems, in alignment with the principles of inclusive urban development. Given the critical role of mobility in key life domains such as education, employment, and overall quality of life, this research holds relevance not only for transport experts but also for other authorities engaged in enhancing the well-being of autistic individuals.
Further information
Full research article:
[OPEN ACCESS] Autism and public transport: exploring the WHO’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as a framework to investigate physical and spatial barriers by Mohammad Sarraf, Sonya Girdler and Sven Bölte.
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