Aging in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Mini-Review

Abstract

This article addresses an important and barely researched topic: what happens to children with autism spectrum disorders when they grow old. We review the small published literature on aging in autism. We then consider the relevance of research on ‘neurotypical’ aging in core domains of autistic impairment: social cognition, executive function, cognitive style and memory. Research themes from the study of normal aging, including cognitive reserve, compensation, quality of life, loneliness and physical health are of relevance for future research on autism. Studies of aging in autism will be important not only to plan appropriate services, but also to shed light on the full developmental trajectory of this neurodevelopmental condition, and perhaps provide clues to neuropathology and etiology.

The intellectual profiles of high functioning elderly persons with an autism spectrum disorder

“…If older individuals are still impaired in their theory of mind, executive dysfunction and central coherence, which is currently under debate [8], this would hardly seem to influence their intelligence profiles. This supports the hypothesis, postulated by [10], that people with ASD continue to develop skills throughout their life, which helps them to compensate for their impairments.…”

“…Furthermore, 26 % of the older participants with ASD in our sample have a relative with a similar diagnosis. This is in line with the review of [10], who state that diagnosis of the elderly with ASD is often prompted by an ASD diagnosis of a relative. The group characteristics are illustrated in Table 2.…”

Binding of Multiple Features in Memory by High-Functioning Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…The present findings also extend the ageing analogy of memory in ASD (Bowler 2007). Although this analogy was intended simply as a heuristic for the development of experimental paradigms for the further study of the neuropsychology of memory in ASD, it also has implications for how we might address the as-yet under-researched area of cognitive ageing in this population (see Happé & Charlton, 2012;Mukaetova-Ladinska et al, 2012). (Brown & Aggleton, 2001), which encodes objects, events and relations among them rapidly and in a way that allows the adaptive use of encoded information in different settings (Squire, 2004).…”

Postural Control Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Role of Sensory Integration

“…Even though ASD has been primarily studied as a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting children and adolescents, many of the symptoms and characteristics of ASD persist in adulthood and are likely to be exacerbated in older age (Happe & Charlton, 2012). This approach to ASD research is important, especially in postural control, because performance in this task declines during adulthood as instability increases with age and this dysfunction leads to the large incidence of fall accidents commonly observed in older adults (Rubenstein, 2006).…”