Adults with autism lack support, resources, report suggests

TORONTO — A think-tank formed to understand the challenges faced by autistic seniors says there are few resources in place to address their specific needs.

A new report from the Aging and Autism Think Tank says the vast majority of research and programming geared toward autism focuses on children, leaving adults almost entirely out of the conversation.

The study — compiled by academics, clinicians and autistic adults from five different countries and released by Autism Canada — says autistic people lose access to key resources once they age out of childhood and contends the problem intensifies the older they get.

“[Autism] is absolutely misunderstood at a societal level, but even more concerning is that it’s misunderstood among clinicians and caregivers and professionals,” said Kevin Stoddart, a member of the think tank and director of Toronto’s Redpath Centre for autistic people of all ages.

The report suggests part of society’s misunderstanding of autism stems from a long tradition of ignoring the voices of autistic people, and calls for more proactive efforts to include their perspectives in matters that impact them.

Laurie Mawlam, executive director with Autism Canada, said children who might be relatively well-supported through their youth are left with few to no resources once they turn 18.

Options are more plentiful for adults who have an intellectual disability, but Mawlam said those with autism who do not are often left particularly unsupported. Her organization, which advocates on behalf of autistic people and their families, is facing increasing pressure to fill that void, she said.

“We’ve started to do programming for adults, but we weren’t ready for it,” she said. “I don’t think we’re ready today for these children that are going to grow up and be seniors. We’re behind the eight ball, and that’s why we need to be better prepared for these senior years.”