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UNC TEACCH Autism Program Director, Dr. Laura Klinger and CIDD Director, Dr. Joe Piven were scientific program chairs at this year’s International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR) and in Atlanta Georgia and one of their chose themes for this year’s meeting was a focus on adults with ASD.

Article from CNN – Autism is growing up

As the world’s leading autism researchers and advocates gathered at the International Meeting for Autism Research last weekend to share the latest discoveries about autism spectrum disorder, a strong theme emerged: Autism is growing up.

When you think of autism, you probably think of young children. But children with autism grow up to be adults with autism, and eventually (God willing) elderly people with autism.

In fact, most people with autism are adults, and most adults with autism lack services — or even a diagnosis.

In her conference keynote address, Marsha Mailick, director of the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, shared data gleaned from 10 years of following the lives of more than 400 people with autism, starting in 1998. This study was prescient; adults are vastly underrepresented in autism research, and longitudinal studies into old age are badly needed.

Some good news emerged from Mailick’s study: Autistic symptoms, such as impaired verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, and rigid/repetitive behaviors, decreased over time among one-third to half of the study participants, and stayed stable in many others. Independent living skills remained stable in this group, as well.

However, leaving high school was a time of vulnerability for participants when, especially in low-income families, previous gains in skills and behavior slowed or plateaued. Work or study was minimal for a quarter of the individuals with autism, and over time women with autism in particular showed a decline in vocationally occupied hours. read more