Autism Spectrum Disorder in Mid and Later Life

Although many associate autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with childhood or adolescence, ASD is a life course issue and many more individuals are entering into adulthood and into mid and later life with autism conditions - and... [ view full abstract ]

Although many associate autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with childhood or adolescence, ASD is a life course issue and many more individuals are entering into adulthood and into mid and later life with autism conditions - and other-co-occurring conditions. There has been a limited amount of awareness and knowledge on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) issues in mid and later life. This session will review the critical issues and present key proposals based on the recent edited book publication by the editor (and presenter of this session). This oral presentation will focus on two major themes in the edited book that provides an interdisciplinary perspective on the intersection of various autism issues and the aging process and in an aging society. The first theme will document the increased activity in relation to research findings, program and service implementation, and advocacy efforts that engage the aging individual with autism with research design and decision-making processes that relate to policy development and implementation. The second theme will address the merits of using a bioecological model to as a conceptual model to integrate, organize, and analyze the dynamics of autism across the life course in relation to person-environmental interactions (e.g., family, peers, community, social-cultural) that change over time.