Study suggests early self-awareness of autism leads to better quality of
life

Date:
April 26, 2022
Source:
University of Portsmouth
Summary:
People who learn they are autistic when they are younger may have
a heightened quality of life and sense of well-being in adulthood,
according to a new study.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== People who learn they are autistic when they are younger may have a
heightened quality of life and sense of well-being in adulthood.


========================================================================== That's the finding of a new study, which also found that those who
learned of their autism as adults reported more positive emotions
(especially relief) about autism when first learning they were autistic.

Findings suggest that telling a child that they are autistic at a younger
age empowers them by providing access to support and a foundation for
self- understanding that helps them thrive later in life.

For the first time, researchers directly investigated whether learning
if one is autistic at a younger age is associated with better adult
outcomes. Many autistic people -- particularly females, ethnic/racial minorities and people with limited resources -- are diagnosed years
after the characteristics are first noticed. In many cases, autistic
people do not receive their diagnosis until adulthood.

The study was carried out by a team of autistic and non-autistic students
and academic researchers. Seventy-eight autistic university students
were surveyed, sharing how they found out they were autistic and how
they felt about their diagnosis. Respondents also revealed how they felt
about their lives and being autistic now.

One of the co-authors, Dr Steven Kapp, Lecturer in Psychology at
the University of Portsmouth, was diagnosed with and informed of his
autism aged 13. He said: "Students who learned they were autistic when
they were younger felt happier about their lives than people who were
diagnosed at an older age. Our study shows that it is probably best
to tell people they are autistic as soon as possible in a balanced,
personal, and developmentally appropriate way. Learning one is autistic
can be empowering because it helps people understand themselves and also
helps them connect with other people like them." However, being given
a diagnosis as an adult can often also be empowering.

Dr Kapp said: "Learning about autism at an older age is associated with
more positive emotions about a diagnosis -- especially relief. This
finding makes sense, although emotional reactions are often very
complex and unique to each person -- there has been a lot of emerging
research showing that relief is a common response to an autism diagnosis
in adulthood." The study suggests that parents should not wait for
children to become adults to tell them they are autistic. No participants recommended doing so, although most highlighted factors to consider
when informing a child of their autism, including developmental level,
support needs, curiosity, and personality.

Findings also suggest that parents should tell their children they
are autistic in ways that help them understand and feel good about who
they are. One participant said: "I would tell my child that autism is a different way of thinking, that it can be challenging and beautiful and powerful and exhausting and impactful, that autistic people deserve to
be themselves, to be proud of their identity, and have supports that
help them meet their needs." Bella Kofner, co-lead author (24), who
was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3 and informed of her autism
at the age of 10, said: "This is the first study, to our knowledge,
to demonstrate that learning at a young age that one is autistic may
have positive impacts on emotional health among autistic university
students. Hopefully, this finding may begin to address concerns
parents have about when to talk to their child about autism. 'When'
the conversation begins is particularly important. Our findings suggest
that learning at a younger age that one is autistic can help autistic
people develop self-understanding and access support, providing the
foundations for well-being in adulthood." The findings, published in
the peer-reviewed journal Autism, suggest that many aspects of identity, besides age, may contribute to how people respond to learning they are autistic. For example, more exploratory findings suggested that women
and non-binary people responded more positively to first learning they
were autistic than men did. The authors hope that future research will
examine autistic identity development in autistic people who have often
been overlooked, such as non-speaking autistic people and autistic people
who are multiply marginalized.

This paper was a collaboration between the following people:
* Tomisin Oredipe (the manuscript was adapted from her honors thesis),
Bella Kofner, Dr Ariana Riccio (study data was collected for
her dissertation), and Dr Kristen Gillespie-Lynch, College of
Staten Island &/or The Graduate Center, The City University of
New York, USA
* Dr Eilidh Cage, University of Stirling, UK * Dr Jonathan Vincent,
York St John University, UK * Dr Steven Kapp, University of
Portsmouth, UK * Patrick Dwyer, University of California, Davis, USA

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Portsmouth. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Tomisin Oredipe, Bella Kofner, Ariana Riccio, Eilidh Cage, Jonathan
Vincent, Steven K Kapp, Patrick Dwyer, Kristen Gillespie-Lynch. Does
learning you are autistic at a younger age lead to better adult
outcomes? A participatory exploration of the perspectives of
autistic university students. Autism, 2022; 136236132210867 DOI:
10.1177/13623613221086700 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220426101656.htm

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