A good later life is not defined solely by the absence of distress. Across research that centres autistic adults’ accounts of wellbeing and quality of life, autistic adults consistently emphasise a small set of practical factors that support ageing well. These are summarised as five practical foundations for wellbeing in later life:
- Support: reliable practical and emotional supports, including sustainable supports for families and carers
- Meaningful roles: valued activities and routines that provide structure and purpose
- Relationships: preferred connection and belonging, with reduced unwanted isolation
- Autonomy: choice, control, and supported decision-making
- Service fit: accessible, predictable, autism-informed health and aged care interactions
Putting the five foundations into practice
1) Service fit: accessible, predictable, autism-informed care
- Make appointments easier to use: clear agendas, explicit questions, slower pace, processing time, written summaries, and flexible formats, including telehealth when it supports access.
- Reduce sensory load: quieter spaces, reduced waiting where possible, predictable procedures, and permission to use regulation supports.
- Prioritise continuity: fewer clinician changes where feasible and shared documentation to reduce repeated retelling and increase predictability.
- Use adapted therapies when indicated: autism-adapted CBT and related approaches can be effective for depression and anxiety when sessions are structured, concrete, and accessible.
- Embed trauma-informed care: explicit consent, clear explanations, choice points, pacing, and preparation for procedures, particularly in high-demand settings.
2) Autonomy: maximise choice, control, and communication access
- Support decision-making: use preferred communication modes, allow time, and present options in concrete, comparable formats.
- Increase predictability and consent: explain what will happen, when, and what choices are available, including the right to pause or stop.
- Treat distress communication as meaningful: do not require fluent verbal narrative for needs to be recognised, especially during high-load interactions.
3) Support: strengthen practical supports and caregiver sustainability
- Coordinate supports across systems: reduce fragmentation between primary care, mental health care, disability supports, and aged care.
- Support families and carers: psychoeducation, respite, and peer support reduce strain and improve sustainability, particularly as carers age.
- Plan early for transitions: future planning can reduce uncertainty around retirement, housing change, and increasing care needs.
4) Meaningful roles: protect purpose, routine, and valued activities
- Rebuild routine after transitions: establish predictable daily anchors such as sleep-wake timing, meals, planned rest, and regular activities.
- Treat deep interests as wellbeing supports: facilitate access to valued interests as sources of enjoyment, identity, and recovery.
- Support participation that fits: volunteering, learning, caring roles, or community contribution can support wellbeing when environments are accessible and expectations are explicit.
5) Relationships: support belonging and reduce unwanted isolation
- Enable autism-affirming connection: autistic peer connection, interest-based groups, and low-demand options can support belonging.
- Support communication needs in relationships: explicit expectations, predictable contact, and reduced ambiguity can sustain connection.
- Address exclusion and barriers: consider access barriers before interpreting withdrawal as preference, particularly when environments are high-load or socially ambiguous.
This webinar is designed to increase awareness and knowledge about the experiences, achievements, and concerns of autistic adults aged 60 years and older. It brings together emerging research on ageing in autism with longitudinal clinical insights from decades of practice, with the aim of supporting wellbeing and improving quality of life for autistic seniors.
In this webcast, you will learn about:
- Abilities, wellbeing, identity, and outlook on life in autistic adults over 60
- How autistic characteristics may change in later life, and factors that may influence these changes
- Changing support needs in older adulthood and implications for services working with older people
- Protective and risk factors relevant to physical and mental health in later life
Who this webcast is for: autistic adults, families, supporters, and services working in disability, health, and aged care who want practical, informed guidance for supporting ageing well.
