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HEALTHCARE
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Autistic individuals show significantly higher mortality rates than the general population, with many studies indicating at least a two-fold increase in risk of death. This applies across age groups and multiple causes, including external causes (e.g., suicide) and neurological conditions.
Systematic analyses indicate that co-occurring physical and mental health conditions substantially contribute to this mortality gap.
Hirvikoski, T., Mittendorfer-Rutz, E., Boman, M., Larsson, H., Lichtenstein, P., & Bölte, S. (2016). Premature mortality in autism spectrum disorder. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 208(3), 232–238. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.114.160192
Lai, M.-C., Kassee, C., Besney, R., Bonato, S., Hull, L., Mandy, W., … Ameis, S. H. (2019). Prevalence of co-occurring mental health diagnoses in the autism population: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Psychiatry, 6(10), 819–829. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(19)30289-5
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Autistic people have higher rates of unmet healthcare needs and are more vulnerable to chronic conditions compared with the general population, compounding disparities in long-term health outcomes.
Nicolaidis, C., Raymaker, D., McDonald, K., Dern, S., Boisclair, W. C., Ashkenazy, E., & Baggs, A. (2013). Comparison of healthcare experiences in autistic and non-autistic adults: A cross-sectional online survey facilitated by an academic–community partnership. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 28(6), 761–769. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-012-2262-7
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Research identifies multiple barriers to accessing appropriate healthcare for autistic individuals across the lifespan — including inadequate provider training, inaccessible environments, sensory overload in clinical settings, and fragmented services.
Mason, D., Ingham, B., Urbanowicz, A., Michael, C., Birtles, H., Woodbury-Smith, M., … Parr, J. R. (2019). A systematic review of what barriers and facilitators prevent and enable physical healthcare services access for autistic adults. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(8), 3387–3400. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-04049-2
EMPLOYMENT
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Autistic employees report high rates of workplace discrimination, bullying, and job loss related to:
Disclosure of diagnosis
Requesting accommodations
Communication differences
Job loss is often not performance-related, but linked to unmet accommodation needs and hostile or inflexible work environments.
Baldwin, S., Costley, D., & Warren, A. (2014). Employment activities and experiences of adults with high-functioning autism and Asperger’s disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 44(10), 2440–2449. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2112-z
Scott, M., Falkmer, M., Girdler, S., & Falkmer, T. (2015). Viewpoints on factors for successful employment for adults with autism spectrum disorder. PLoS ONE, 10(7), e0139281. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0139281
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Autistic people who are women, racialized, Indigenous, LGBTQ2S+, or immigrants experience compounded employment barriers, including:
Later or missed diagnosis
Lower wages
Greater precarity
These groups are under-represented in autism employment research, meaning disparities are likely underestimated.
Botha, M., & Frost, D. M. (2020). Extending the minority stress model to understand mental health problems experienced by the autistic population. Society and Mental Health, 10(1), 20–34. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156869318804297
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Autistic adults are more than twice as likely to report contact with police compared with non-autistic adults, largely due to misunderstandings, crisis situations, and lack of reasonable adjustments.
Weiss, J. A., Isaacs, B., Diepstra, H., Wilton, A. S., Brown, H. K., McGarry, C., & Lunsky, Y. (2018). Health concerns and health service utilization in a population cohort of young adults with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(1), 36–44
