Aging with Autism
June 20, 2023 5:01 AM Subscribe
An article on older autistic people:
"Seniors across the country deal with numerous physical and mental health conditions every day that have been heavily studied, but there is not nearly as much research on the experience of those who are on the spectrum. Better understanding what autism looks like in seniors and how it may impact their lives can help make a difference for both them and their families."
This article gives a good overview of autism in adults, and includes some useful resources.
This article gives a good overview of autism in adults, and includes some useful resources.
Mod note: Z, just post what the link should be and I'll fix it.
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 5:11 AM on June 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 5:11 AM on June 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
I had a lot of potential as a person but instead I am isolated, alone, in a bad living environment. Because of that my mental and physical health have gotten much worse. It looks like that will continue until my caretakers are too old to help me (they are in their mid 70s) and then I will be completely on my own. I cannot imagine growing old at this point, i don't want to be around that long if my life doesnt improve. I'm 40 and i was diagnosed when i was 14.
posted by GiantSlug at 3:59 PM on June 20, 2023 [10 favorites]
posted by GiantSlug at 3:59 PM on June 20, 2023 [10 favorites]
What a great topic! Thanks, Zumbador.
I personally have wondered whether masking gets harder as autistic people age -- I would expect it to, because it's a pretty complex task. It might actually be difficult to diagnose that as autism, come to think of it. I imagine such people might wind up with a neurodegenerative diagnosis instead, because the symptoms would appear to an observer to be new-onset.
posted by eirias at 3:41 PM on June 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
I personally have wondered whether masking gets harder as autistic people age -- I would expect it to, because it's a pretty complex task. It might actually be difficult to diagnose that as autism, come to think of it. I imagine such people might wind up with a neurodegenerative diagnosis instead, because the symptoms would appear to an observer to be new-onset.
posted by eirias at 3:41 PM on June 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
eirias, I had this exact conversation with my psychiatrist (who, to my horror, knows less about autism than I do, and I'm no expert)
I was describing some of my father's traits and how, these days, he's quickly losing the ability to mask, and she suggested it might be some kind of age related degenerative disease, and not autism.
I was too surprised to point out that he's always had these traits, and is just getting worse at hiding them, especially since his lockdown isolation.
posted by Zumbador at 9:15 PM on June 21, 2023 [3 favorites]
I was describing some of my father's traits and how, these days, he's quickly losing the ability to mask, and she suggested it might be some kind of age related degenerative disease, and not autism.
I was too surprised to point out that he's always had these traits, and is just getting worse at hiding them, especially since his lockdown isolation.
posted by Zumbador at 9:15 PM on June 21, 2023 [3 favorites]
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posted by Iris Gambol at 5:06 AM on June 20, 2023