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Autism/Can you name anyone with autism over 80?

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Expert: - 5/25/2010


Question
Does autism shorten life? I'm 26 with autism and I never hear about people with autism living past 60!
Can you name anyone with autism over 80?

Answer
Hi Kristine,

There is no reason autism should shorten life span. Part of the reason you don't know of anyone over 60 is that we have not been diagnosing autism for much more longer than that. So, I can't name anyone, however I can give you some historical examples. Considering that Einstein aged 76, Edison, aged 84 and possibly Da Vinci aged 67 (very old for his time), were probably on the autistic spectrum, life span is normal or even longer.

The short life spans you know of probably resulted from autistic people being confined to mental institutions where they received poor nutrition, inadequate exercise and sometimes, outright abuse.

You should have no fear that your life will be shorter than normal provided that you take good care of yourself by eating healthy food, exercising and seeing your doctor regularly to watch for things like high blood pressure and diabetes just like everyone else.

Best wishes,
Catherine

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Catherine Ridenour

Expertise

I can answer your questions about parenting your High Functioning Autisic or Asperger`s Syndrome child. In particular, questions about family life, discipline, siblings, finding resources, and working with (sometimes opposing) the educational system are welcome.

Experience

I am the parent of an Asperger's Syndrome child who is now 22 years old. She went undiagnosed for 14 years of her life, so I have done extensive reading and Internet research into the possible cause of her difficulties. Even a short 8 years ago, A.S. was practically unheard of by the public educational system.

We fumbled our way through her childhood and early adolescence without any effective outside support. In some ways, that may have been a blessing as we were focused on her abilities rather than a label for her disability. However, I can think of many times when knowing WHY would have been comforting.

Had we known very early on, some social skills interventions might have made her life in school easier. At this point, I like her for who she is so I do not regret how things have turned out. More importantly, she likes herself.

Education/Credentials
I have a Bachelor of Science in Education.

I have worked to educate myself about Autism in general and HFA/AS in particular.

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