Autism Awareness Month: Adults have autism too!
April is Autism Awareness Month, and something very important to realize is that adults have autism too! While most of the statistics and studies on…
Adults with autism are unrecognized by current research. (Shutterstock)
April is Autism Awareness Month, and something very important to realize is that adults have autism too! While most of the statistics and studies on autism have to do with children, those children eventually grow up.
Current statistics indicate as many as 1 in 68 children are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, but most of the emphasis on treatment and education ends once an individual turns 21. In fact, there is very little data on how many adults are currently living with autism compared to children with the disorder.
SEE ALSO: Significant increase seen in autism diagnosis, says CDC
“It is a real issue and autism is still seen very much as a child’s condition. But of course, every child with autism does grow up to be an adult with autism,” Carol Povey, director of the Center for Autism at the UK’s National Autistic Society, told MNT. “In fact, one of the areas which is very poorly understood at the moment is that they turn into older people with autism.”
Povey indicates part of the reason there is such a lack of awareness regarding adult autism spectrum disorders is because the diagnosis is still relatively new. There have not been enough generations living with recognizable autism substantial clinical data to be gained through research.
“Many of the older adults [with autism] were the first generation diagnosed with autism in the UK in the 1960s, which is when we started to understand it,” said Povey. “Our understanding [of autism] is growing,” Povey adds, “but most of the services and facilities and the understanding around diagnoses are with children. When people move into adulthood, most services are poorer and the understanding is poorer because our portrayal of autism is still with children. We just know more about autism in children.”
More outreach programs are needed for adults with autism. (Shutterstock)
Another reason for the lack of understanding about autism in adulthood has to do with the fact is is considered a spectrum disorder. This means that the symptoms of autism can vary greatly, and while they can be easily recognizable among children, individuals learn how to control their symptoms as they mature.
“There is very little research that has been done worldwide looking both at the way autism affects adults and the impact it really has on their lives, and what sort of support and services would make the greatest difference,” said Povey.
“That is the really important thing for adults on the autism spectrum; ‘What is going to help me?’ – and for parents – ‘what is going to help my child?’ not only when they are 5, 7 or 8 years old, but when they are 30, 40 or 50, when parents may not be there to do that for them.”
SEE ALSO: How effective are alternative therapies for autism
More research into this area is needed, explained Povey, because the lack of understanding about adult autism impacts the lives of these individuals incredibly. For many, though their disorder limits how well they interact with people, they still wish to be contributing members of society. Employers and co-workers, however, don’t often understand the complexity of adult autism?or even know it exists.
Part of the reason children with autism can be successful is because a number of outreach initiatives and awareness campaigns have been adopted around the country. For adult with autism, similar methods must be developed not only to continue to provide help for those with autism, but to encourage adults with the disorder to reach their full potential.
