Autistic people have shorter life expectancy than non-autistic people, partially due to higher risk for genetic and medical issues and partially due to the stress of existing in a world not built for you. Access to appropriate supports can help mitigate this effect.
Autism itself does not affect life expectancy, however research has shown that the mortality risk among individuals with autism is twice as high as the general population, in large part due to drowning and other accidents.
Quality of Life (QoL)
Adults with autism seem to have a poorer QoL throughout their lifespan when compared to neurotypical adults, and when measured with instruments designed for the general population (11, 12).
Drowning is the leading cause of death for autistic children; researchers recommend providing swimming classes immediately following diagnosis. The average age at death for individuals with autism was 36 years younger than for the general population, 36 years of age compared with 72.
The life expectancy for people in the category of Level 1 ASD is the highest among the three. It's slightly lower than the average life expectancy, but the lack of extreme symptoms means that most having the disorder are capable of carrying a normal life.
Death. Triplett died of cancer at home on June 15, 2023. He was the longest-living person known to have autism.
It's something you're born with. Signs of autism might be noticed when you're very young, or not until you're older. If you're autistic, you're autistic your whole life. Autism is not a medical condition with treatments or a "cure".
Severe autism, diagnosed as level 3, causes debilitating symptoms. Someone with level 3 autism may be non-verbal and be unable to engage with people. Sensory stimuli may be overwhelming. Cognitive deficits are common.
Jeffrey Dahmer, a cannibalistic and necrophiliac serial murderer, was retrospectively diagnosed as an autistic Asperger in 2002. Michael Fitzgerald also identified murderers Ted Bundy and Timothy McVeigh as psychopaths with autism.
There are many different factors that have been identified that may make a child more likely to have ASD, including environmental, biologic, and genetic factors.
Abstract Some children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) exhibit low mental age (Low-MA), defined here as cognitive functioning below 12 months.
Inheritance. ASD has a tendency to run in families, but the inheritance pattern is usually unknown. People with gene changes associated with ASD generally inherit an increased risk of developing the condition, rather than the condition itself.
People with autism spectrum disorder are sometimes described as lacking empathy (the ability to feel along with others) and/or sympathy (the ability to feel for others). While this is a persistent stereotype of all people with autism, these challenges are not experienced by everyone on the spectrum.
Autism doesn't get worse with age, but certain symptoms can become more pronounced and problematic as the child grows older and is more challenged.
Elon Musk - Entrepreneur
Elon Musk announced that he was on the autism spectrum while hosting the show, “Saturday Night Live,” in May 2021. More specifically, he stated that he was “the first person with Asperger's” to host the show. Musk is one of the world's richest people with a net worth of more than $150 billion.
Einstein himself had many autistic traits. He did not learn to speak until he was three, and he had a lack of concern about his appearance.
Autism characteristics can change significantly from ages 3 to 11.
Autism Prevalence
31% of children with ASD have an intellectual disability (intelligence quotient [IQ] <70), 25% are in the borderline range (IQ 71–85), and 44% have IQ scores in the average to above average range (i.e., IQ >85).
In some ways Williams syndrome is the opposite of autism. For example, people with Williams syndrome love to talk and tell stories, whereas those with autism usually have language delay and little imagination. Many people with Williams syndrome draw disjointed pictures, some with autism draw pictures in perfect detail.
Does The Father Or Mother Carry The Autism Gene? Autism was always thought to have a maternal inheritance component, however, research suggests that the rarer variants associated with the disorder are usually inherited from the father.
1 in 100 children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder as of 2021. Autism prevalence has increased 178% since 2000. The country with the highest rate of diagnosed autism in the world is Qatar, and the country with the lowest rate is France.
Advances in diagnostic capabilities and greater understanding and awareness of autism spectrum disorder seem to be largely driving the increase, the Rutgers researchers said. But there's probably more to the story: Genetic factors, and perhaps some environmental ones, too, might also be contributing to the trend.