Young adult outcome of autism spectrum disorders.

Antaki et al. (2008) followed a group of adults who were diagnosed with autism as kids in the 1970s and 1980s. They checked how these adults were doing at about age 24.

Doctors rated each person’s global outcome as good, fair, or poor. They also looked back at early test scores like IQ and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) taken around age 11.

Half of the adults had good or fair outcomes, while just under half had poor outcomes. Early IQ and CARS scores predicted who would do better later.

In plain words, kids with higher IQ and milder autism signs at 11 were more likely to live on their own or hold a job by 24.

Billstedt et al. (2005) looked at a similar group and reported 78% poor outcomes. The numbers seem to clash, but Eva’s study drew from an older era with fewer services, so the worse results make sense.

Repp et al. (1987) tracked the same cohort through puberty and already saw that early IQ and speech mattered. The 2008 paper simply extends that story into adulthood.

Chamak et al. (2016) followed adults even longer and found two-thirds still fully dependent. Together these studies show little improvement across decades, highlighting a stubborn service gap.

You can use early IQ and CARS scores to flag kids who will need intense adult-transition planning. Start teaching daily-living and vocational skills before age 12, and keep services running after 22. The data say most adults still struggle, so don’t fade support when school ends.