Aging Well on the Autism Spectrum: An Examination of the Dominant Model of Successful Aging.
Standard “aging well” checklists label almost all autistic adults as failures, so we need autism-friendly benchmarks.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team asked older autistic adults to fill out a survey. They compared answers to standard “aging well” checklists used in gerontology.
The goal was to see how many autistic adults meet common benchmarks like active social life, good health, and high life satisfaction.
What they found
Only one in thirty autistic adults ticked enough boxes to count as “aging well.”
The study says mainstream aging models miss what autistic adults actually need.
How this fits with other research
Bao et al. (2017) followed 74 adults for 25 years and saw most behavior problems drop with age. That sounds like good aging, yet Hwang et al. (2020) still found almost zero “success.” The difference is in the yardstick—symptom relief versus social-health benchmarks.
Aitken et al. (2026) interviewed autistic adults 46-72 years old. People described real fears, but also clever coping skills. Their stories back up the numbers: current services do not fit.
Ommensen et al. (2026) takes the call further. The 2026 paper builds a new lifespan model that counts autism-specific strengths instead of typical social norms. It directly answers the 2020 plea for fresh criteria.
Why it matters
If you support adults on the spectrum, drop the “busy social life” goal. Ask what meaningful engagement looks like for that person—maybe online clubs, special-interest groups, or structured volunteer roles. Push funders to add autism-informed items to intake forms and wellness plans. One quick win: add a strengths question to your next assessment and let the client define success.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Add one open-ended strengths question to your adult intake form and use the answer when setting goals.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
There is a gap in our knowledge of aging with autism. The present study examined the applicability of the popular gerontology concept of "aging well" to autistic adults. Using survey data, a model of "aging well" was operationalised and applied to 92 autistic adults and 60 controls. A very small proportion (3.3%) of autistic adults were found to be aging well. Significantly less autistic adults were "maintaining physical and cognitive functioning" and "actively engaging with life" in comparison to controls. Whilst important differences in health and functioning status were found, the current dominant model of "aging well" is limited for examining autistic individuals. Suggested adjustments include development of a broader, more flexible and strengths -based model.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2020 · doi:10.1007/s10803-018-3596-8