Therapeutic Alliance in a Culturally Tailored Transition Program for Latino Young Adults with Autism and Their Families

Latino young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often face barriers to accessing culturally appropriate interventions that support adaptive functioning and family dynamics. Therapeutic alliance, the collaborative and trusting relationship between participants and providers, is a critical component of intervention success, yet its role in culturally tailored programs for Latino families remains underexplored. The present study examined therapeutic alliance in <i>¡Iniciando!</i> la Adultez, a 12-week, culturally adapted intervention for Latino young adults with ASD and their Spanish-speaking parents. The program integrates Latino cultural values and language and consists of parent group therapy, young adult group therapy, and individual therapy sessions. Participants included 26 young adults and 38 parents who engaged in the intervention. Repeated measures analyses of variance (ANOVA) were conducted to examine changes in therapeutic alliance and adaptive functioning across three time points: baseline, mid-treatment, and post-treatment. Correlational analyses explored associations between mid-treatment alliance and post-treatment adaptive functioning. Results indicated that parents, young adults, and therapists reported strong therapeutic alliances, which were significantly associated with improvements in adaptive functioning, particularly in social and conceptual skills. These findings underscore the importance of fostering therapeutic alliance in culturally responsive interventions to support meaningful outcomes for Latino young adults with ASD and their families.