Autism Research—What’s New in March
Ann Memmott picks out some of the current big debates on Autistic lives, and showcases new and important research from teams and academics working within the field.
What do we know about quality of life (QoL) in middle aged and older Autistic adults?
Francis & team compared answers to those given by non-Autistic peers.
Both autistic and non-autistic groups reported similar QoL experiences, but with subtle differences. Social support from family and friends was important for both groups…Concerns about health and sleep changes were common, but autistic participants often mentioned persistent mental health issues affecting their wellbeing. Autistic individuals also highlighted sensory sensitivities and difficulties with change. Receiving their autism diagnosis was significant for autistic participants, aiding self-acceptance. Acceptance of age-related changes was common in both groups, but the autistic group was more willing to seek support, while the non-autistic group often saw asking for help as losing their independence.
Francis, D., Hershman, D., Charlton, R. A., Happe, F., & Stewart, G. (2025). “Bigger lows, but higher highs”: A qualitative exploration of the similarities and differences in quality of life of middle-aged and older autistic and non-autistic adults. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S3050656525000057
Which interventions improve quality of life (QoL) for Autistic young adults? We don’t know, it seems.
This new research by Wu and team raises concerns about evidence for Psychosocial interventions, for Autistic young adults. There is very little quality research yet. An important paper to read for anyone recommending particular interventions.
My note: It is, as ever, very important to work collaboratively with the person to explore what might work for them, and change approach if it is not working.
Only four studies found interventions (two vocational interventions, one transition intervention, and one psychotherapy) that improved QoL. However, study quality was generally limited, and currently, no conclusions can be made about specific interventions that improve QoL in autistic young adults. There is clearly a pressing need for future research in this area.
Wu, H., Savadlou, A., Paul, M. et al. Psychosocial Interventions and Quality of Life in Autistic Young Adults: A Systematic Review. Rev J Autism Dev Disord (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-025-00499-w
Younger Autistic domestic abuse survivors.
What do we know about Autistic people and their experiences of intimate partner violence/abuse?
The current research on the intersectionality of intimate partner violence, trauma, and autism is limited... Recommendations include research and tailored interventions to meet the developmental and concrete needs of the client in the present case study and perhaps others who are similarly situated. Clinical and research implications highlight the need for specialized care and further research to meet this underserved population.
Steinke H. R. (2024). The Convergence of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intimate Partner Violence: Implications for Clinical Practice. Journal of child & adolescent trauma, 18(1), 23–33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-024-00673-y
Spotting Autistic children: Differences between accuracy from Clinicians and Caregivers.
An intriguing piece of research from Azu and team. It’s well known that Autistic children, their teachers, and their parents give rather different answers to diagnostic questions about the child’s autistic characteristics. It seems this is also true for parents/caregivers compared to the Clinicians. In particular, the team discover that “…clinicians rated autism-related behaviours lower than caregivers for females and higher than caregivers for males”. Might this help explain the difference in diagnostic proportions for boys versus girls? Well worth a read for background information and some thinking about the importance of excellent training.
Azu, M. A., Han, G. T., Wolf, J. M., Naples, A. J., Chawarska, K., Dawson, G., Bernier, R. A., Jeste, S. S., Dziura, J. D., Webb, S. J., Sugar, C. A., Shic, F., & McPartland, J. C. (2024). Clinician–caregiver informant discrepancy is associated with sex, diagnosis age, and intervention use among autistic children. Autism, 29(3), 614-626. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613241279999 (Original work published 2025)
Satisfaction with our Autistic identity – the links to body appreciation.
Longhurst & team asked nearly 400 Autistic adults how confident they were about their body and moving in authentically Autistic ways, for example the question, “I feel confident expressing myself and moving my body freely, without hiding my autistic characteristics [for example, stimming].”
Body appreciation is about, “…accepting, holding favourable opinions toward, and respecting the body, while also rejecting media-promoting appearance ideals as the only form of human beauty.”
The team summarise the results:
Our finding suggests that autistic people who feel greater satisfaction with their autistic identity are more likely to flourish – specifically, experience life satisfaction, a sense of meaning and purpose, and establish authentic social connections. Furthermore, we found that body appreciation was directly and positively associated with flourishing in autistic people, consistent with positive body image research in neurotypical populations.
Longhurst, P., Aspell, J. E., Todd, J., & Swami, V. (2025). Body appreciation mediates the association between satisfaction with autistic identity and flourishing in autistic adults. Body image, 53, 101876. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2025.101876
Autism diagnosis and Anorexia Nervosa (AN)
Creese and team interviewed 17 autistic women with a diagnosis of Anorexia Nervosa, and asked them about what difference it made to receive an Autism diagnosis.
Participants experienced missed opportunities for autism diagnosis along with misdiagnoses and misunderstandings from healthcare professionals. Participants tended to receive their diagnosis at the point of crisis and experienced being passed between autism and Eating Disorder (ED) services. Receiving a diagnosis helped participants make sense of their experiences and take control of their lives but also brought feelings of shock and distress.
Conclusions: While autism diagnosis is often a positive experience for autistic women with AN, a range of emotions can be experienced. The findings highlight a need for better and earlier identification of autism among women with EDs, alongside appropriate post-diagnosis support and ED treatment that is adapted to autistic individuals' needs.Creese, M., Hampton, S., Brede, J., Babb, C., Elliott, M., Serpell, L., Jones, C. R. G., Fox, J. R. E., Loewenberger, A., & Mandy, W. (2025). "From That Moment, Everything has Changed": The Experience of Women With Anorexia Nervosa Receiving a Diagnosis of Autism. European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association, 10.1002/erv.3186. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.3186
What makes a hospital ‘Autism-friendly’?
Davenport and team reviewed existing research and publications about this topic. They found that the words ‘Autism-friendly’ could mean a variety of things, or wasn’t really defined at all in some papers.
….Flexibility underpinned the three categories, with flexible people, flexible place, and flexible timing reported as being integral to improving the hospital experience of patients with autism. Our findings provide clear guidance for creating autism friendly hospital care.
CG Davenport, S., Alshawsh, M., Lee, C., Garrick, A., Brignell, A., Ure, A., & P Johnson, B. (2025). The Meaning of Autism Friendly in Hospital Settings: A Scoping Review of the Autism Community’s Perspectives. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 1-16. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-025-06781-4
“Crippling” sex education: LGBTQ+ Autistic/ADHD adults.
There is a lack of good information on sexuality for so many autistic/ADHD adults, a situation that is sometimes made worse by Government-led changes in countries. It is vital that everyone has access to the right information to enable safety, quality of life and joy in matters of sexuality. Santinele and team take a look at this.
Despite a strong desire to learn about sexuality, they face significant barriers due to stigma, societal misconceptions, and lack of accessible resources. Through semi-structured interviews with 12 participants, the research identified gaps in current sex education, such as cisheteronormativity, and the absence of intersectional content on disability and sexuality. Participants emphasized the need for inclusive, disability-tailored curricula. The findings advocate for reforms in sex education, promoting a “crip” approach that supports the sexual rights of disabled individuals.
Santinele Martino, A., Tri, T., Kinitz, D. J., Brennand, E., Hughes, A., & Peace, L. (2025). “Cripping” Sex Education: Gaps and Opportunities for Sex Education for LGBTQ+ Adults with Autism and/or ADHD. American Journal of Sexuality Education, 1-27. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15546128.2025.2476481
Are Autism assessments and screening tools for people age 50+ fit for purpose? It seems the answer is no.
Summerill and team review past research on this subject. Worryingly, it seems that there is limited evidence showing that the tests are fit for purpose for older Autistic people. This could be a reason why we have found so very few older autistic people as yet. It is so important that teams produce properly designed tests, working with the Autistic population to ensure they measure the right things in the right ways.
We identified a number of measures and tools that have been used with people of 50 years and older. However, few reported psychometric properties and there was limited evidence to support the use of any specific tool in this group. We recommend that existing tools should be used cautiously until their psychometric properties are established in older people and that the development of older adult specific measures is warranted.
Summerill, J., Leedale, C., Thompson, D., Ingham, B., & Rutter, L. (2025). Psychometric properties of autism screening tools and assessment measures used in research involving people aged 50 and above: A systematic review. Research in Autism, 123, 202557. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S305065652500029X
Autistic body co-ordination age 30-70+
As we know so little about most Autistic people, this is a very important piece of research. It shows that many Autistic people may have balance problems, which can lead to difficulties with all sorts of situations in everyday life and a greater risk of falls and injury. If we are planning support for people as they go beyond young adult years, this is a vital thing to check for, and monitor over time.
“We examined standing posture in 47 autistic and 48 non-autistic adults aged 30–73 years to better understand if postural control impairments commonly found in autistic children extend into middle and older adulthood and how age affects balance in autistic adults.
We found increased postural sway variability and less smooth (or jerkier) postural sway trajectories in autistic adults compared to non-autistic adults.”Qu, H., Wang, J., Shirley, D. J., Gemmell, H. M., Christensen, D., Orlando, A. M., ... & Wang, Z. (2025). Atypical Postural Control Variability and Coordination Persist Into Middle and Older Adulthood in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism Research. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aur.70024
