Patterns of Age-Related Cognitive Differences in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Expect executive-function skills to decline faster in adults with ASD—plan cognitive supports early.
01Research in Context
What this study did
McIntyre et al. (2017) compared executive-function skills in adults with autism and typical adults.
They gave both groups the same planning, shifting, and working-memory tasks.
The adults ranged from young to older age, letting the team track age-linked change.
What they found
Autistic adults lost more skill with each extra year than typical peers.
The gap was biggest on tasks that needed fast planning and mental flexibility.
In plain words, everyday problem solving gets harder faster for adults with ASD.
How this fits with other research
Verberg et al. (2022) looked at brain scans and found faster cortical thinning in the same group.
Together the papers show both brain and behavior age quicker in ASD.
Cummings et al. (2024) seems to disagree: in kids, executive function improves at the same rate for autistic and typical children.
The clash disappears when you see the 2017 paper studied adults, not children.
Skills may grow normally in youth, then decline faster after adulthood begins.
Mason et al. (2021) widens the picture: even sub-clinical autistic traits in mid-life predict faster biological aging.
Why it matters
Start cognitive supports earlier than you would for typical clients.
Build planning aids, visual schedules, and self-monitoring tools into adult goals.
Re-assess executive skills every year; don’t wait for a crisis.
Share the aging pattern with families so they plan for extra support at 40, not 70.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Little is known about age-related cognitive differences in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, given the overlap in cognitive impairments in ASD to those seen in typical aging, it is possible that adults with ASD will face even greater cognitive difficulties as they age. The current study used a cross-sectional design to examine age-related cognitive differences in adults with ASD and age and IQ-matched adults with typical development (age range 30-67 years). Results indicated that both age and diagnosis were related to poorer cognitive performance. However, adults with ASD exhibited pronounced age effects on measures related to executive functioning compared to adults with typical development, suggesting that aging in ASD may disproportionately affect specific cognitive processes.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2017 · doi:10.1007/s10803-017-3238-6