Aging on the Autism Spectrum: Physical Activity in Individuals Receiving State Services in the United States.

Waldron et al. (2023) looked at physical activity in autistic adults who use U.S. state disability services. They asked who still does moderate exercise or muscle-strengthening workouts.

The team compared older adults with younger ones and noted each person's self-rated health.

Older age and fair or poor health both predicted less physical activity. In plain words, the seniors and the sicker clients were moving far less.

The drop was big enough that service planners should treat low activity as an expected risk.

Gandhi et al. (2022) used the exact same state-services group and also reported very low exercise rates. The new paper simply zooms in on age and health as the clearest red flags.

Chan et al. (2021) and Koh (2024) show the opposite picture for kids: structured sports and gym programs boost communication and social skills in autistic children. The contradiction is only surface-deep—the youth papers test interventions, while the adult paper watches what happens without one.

Parsons et al. (2019) already mapped high rates of epilepsy, sleep, and heart problems in autistic adults over 40. Waldron et al. (2023) now adds "low physical activity" to that chronic-disease list.

If you serve adults through Medicaid waivers or day programs, expect exercise to disappear as clients age or report poor health. Build screening questions about activity into annual plans and link sedentary clients to autism-friendly movement options—walking clubs, Wii-based groups, or supported gym visits—before chronic conditions pile up.