The potential for successful autistic aging: Proposing a lifespan developmental psychology approach

Negative misconceptions about the inevitability of declining physical health and cognitive functioning in old age abound in society and the literature on autism and aging. But there is a paradox of aging – most older adults in the general population experience a peak in their life satisfaction and emotional wellbeing in later life that is fundamental to successful aging. Parallel patterns of later life improvement in psychosocial functioning and emotional wellbeing have been found in conditions such as ADHD and schizophrenia which raises the tantalising question: could the paradox of aging be true for older autistic adults too?Contemporary gerontological research on successful aging has reconciled contradictions inherent in this paradox from the perspective of lifespan developmental psychology and its core assumption that aging is a lifelong process of adaptive change. By contrast, and even though global public health responses are shifting towards greater understanding and promotion of successful aging through recovery, adaptation, and growth in later life, there has been no attempt to consider aging in autism from a lifespan developmental psychology perspective.This article addresses this gap in the literature by exploring how lifespan developmental psychology might inform our understanding of the developmental trajectory of autism across the lifespan and in later life. Drawing on analyses of gerontological and autism literature, it proposes lifespan developmental psychology as a novel evidence-based theoretical framework that challenges existing negative expectations and offers an opportunity to reframe future autism research and clinical practice.