The use of everyday and assistive technology in the lives of older autistic adults.
Older autistic adults will use tech happily if designers and BCBAs let them co-create simple, sensory-friendly tools.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Zheng et al. (2022) talked with older autistic adults about the tech they use every day.
They asked what helps, what frustrates, and what designers keep getting wrong.
The goal was to learn how phones, tablets, and assistive devices can support adults over 50.
What they found
Participants showed clear likes and dislikes.
Small buttons, busy screens, and unclear menus were top complaints.
They wanted simple layouts, larger text, and the chance to test new products themselves.
How this fits with other research
Aitken et al. (2026) asked similar adults about ageing fears and also heard the call for co-design.
Their work extends Lidan’s tech focus into wider service planning.
Hwang et al. (2020) surveyed autistic adults and found most do not meet standard “ageing well” scores.
That survey result seems gloomy next to Lidan’s hopeful design ideas, but the methods differ.
The survey counted check-box criteria; the interviews uncovered real-world work-arounds.
Together they say: older autistic adults face barriers, yet thoughtful tech can remove some.
Why it matters
If you support autistic adults, invite them to try, reject, and shape the tech you recommend. Swap tiny-button apps for clean, large-text versions. Ask what sensory quirks bother them before you buy a new device. Their insights turn good tools into great ones.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Technology has the potential to help people with various support needs live more autonomous lives. This includes autistic individuals. In this article, we look at how older autistic adults use technology in their daily lives. Past research examining technology use and autism has mainly focused on helping children to learn new skills. To date, very little research has been conducted looking at how to create and design technology for use by older autistic adults. This is concerning because older autistic adults will likely have supports needs that match or exceed those of similarly aged non-autistic individuals. In this article, we spoke to autistic adults over 50 years about their daily experiences and how they use technology. We identified some important ways that older autistic adults use technology in their daily lives, as well as a number of support needs and barriers to technology use. Based on the findings, we were able to provide some guidelines and recommendations for technology developers and service providers to assist with designing, creating and using technology with older autistic adults.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2022 · doi:10.1177/13623613211058519