'Suddenly the First Fifty Years of My Life Made Sense': Experiences of Older People with Autism

Autor/inn/en	Hickey, Aoife; Crabtree, Jason; Stott, Joshua
Titel	'Suddenly the First Fifty Years of My Life Made Sense': Experiences of Older People with Autism
Quelle	In: Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, 22 (2018) 3, S.357-367 (11 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1362-3613
DOI	10.1177/1362361316680914
Schlagwörter	Autism; Older Adults; Semi Structured Interviews; Social Support Groups; Clinical Diagnosis; Experience; Aging (Individuals); Symptoms (Individual Disorders); Individual Differences; Psychological Patterns; Social Isolation; Qualitative Research; Foreign Countries; United Kingdom + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Autismus; Älterer Erwachsener; Social support; Soziale Unterstützung; Erfahrung; Aging; Altern; Psychiatrische Symptomatik; Individueller Unterschied; Soziale Isolation; Qualitative Forschung; Ausland; Großbritannien
Abstract	Research on the experience of growing older with autism is very limited. In this study, 13 people with autism aged over 50 years participated in semi-structured interviews about their experiences of diagnosis, social support and getting older. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Three overarching themes were generated: difference, life review and longing for connection. Prior to diagnosis, individuals had awareness of their difficulties, attributed these to intrinsic difference and engaged in a deliberate process of reducing the visibility of this difference. Diagnosis prompted a process of life review and externalisation, whereby past negative experiences were reattributed to autism as opposed to the self. Loneliness, isolation and yearning for interpersonal connection were ubiquitous and longstanding. Autism support and social groups were highly valued, offering opportunities for belonging, acceptance and social comparison. Results highlight the similarity to younger age groups in terms of lived experience and need for greater support, particularly with respect to reducing isolation and improving access to diagnosis. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01