89% bis 97% der autistischen Erwachsenen im Alter von 40 Jahren sind in Großbritannien nicht diagnostiziert. Autistische Erwachsene mittleren Alters und älteren Alters sind mit höheren Raten an psychischen und körperlichen Erkrankungen ausgesetzt als nicht-autistische Erwachsene gleicher Alters, sowie Herausforderungen bei Beschäftigung, Beziehungen und Wohlbefinden.
https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/up-to-90-of-middle-aged-and-older-autistic-adults-are-undiagnosed-in-the-uk-new-review-finds
4 Kommentare
I’ve linked to the press release in the post above. In this comment, for those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:
https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-devpsych-111323-090813
From the linked article:
**89 to 97 per cent of autistic adults aged 40+ years are undiagnosed in the UK, according to the largest review of its kind. The review indicated that middle-aged and older autistic adults are facing higher rates of mental and physical health conditions than non-autistic adults of the same age, alongside challenges with employment, relationships and wellbeing.**
Although research on ageing in autistic populations has increased nearly fourfold since 2012, only 0.4 per cent of research on autism since 1980 has focused on people in midlife or older age. The researchers collated the research to date and conducted a narrative review to understand whether autistic people have different ageing patterns to the general population.
The review, published in the Annual Review of Developmental Psychology, provides a summary of research in this area, highlighting the critical need for more studies to find ways to improve outcomes for this population.
As a UK-based 69yo male with no diagnosis but many indications that if I had one I would be diagnosed as on the spectrum – what used to be called Asperger’s – I have two questions:
1. If I want a diagnosis what steps should I take to get one?
2. What practical benefits (and harms) would there be to getting a diagnosis?
Im in my 40s and beginning to come around to the idea that I am autistic. It is difficult as a woman to navigate the diagnosis waters when autism wasnt even considered „possible“ in girls when i was a child. The science is still biased towards men and boys. Women and girls present symptoms so much differently that I am beginning to think im going to have to seek out someone who specializes in autism in women.
I have spent my entire life in self-imposed solitary confinement because I knew i was different, broken, and „other“ without having any more words to explain it. I do my best to hide it, the „thing“, whatever it is that keeps me seperate from everyone, but people can still tell something is wrong with me if they talk to me more than a few minutes. Life is heartbreaking.
For some people with misdiagnosis it would put themselves at a disadvantage if they get re-evaluated with a correct autism diagnosis because the UK has started to give less benefits to people with autism recently. Not everyone with autism is fit to work and the UK benefits system is very harsh about it. I think you have to be on the extreme of the nonfunctional scale these days to be signed off work, at least that’s the impression I’ve been given.