The educational attainment of autistic individuals and individuals with high autistic traits: A study of 230,000 people in the United Kingdom

Educational attainment is a key social determinant of health; however, there is a paucity of research worldwide on the educational attainment of autistic people. Leveraging data from a large, anonymous online survey, the study matched 14,519 autistic adults and 37,458 non-autistic adults with high autistic traits (henceforth high AQ) 1:5 on age, gender, and UK region to non-autistic adults. Autistic and high AQ people had lower levels of educational attainment than others, on average; however, autistic people achieved postgraduate qualifications at similar levels to matched peers. This suggests that most autistic and high AQ people experience significant barriers to educational attainment, but some autistic people achieve advanced educational qualifications. In addition, it provides evidence that educational systems may fail to effectively support a wider range of learners than those with formally recognized special educational needs. As educational attainment predicts long-term health and financial stability, timely autism diagnosis and adaptations to national and international educational policies are urgently needed.