INSAR Institute 2024:

Ageing in Autism

Session 3: Clinical Considerations in Working with Older Autistic Adults: Identifying and Supporting Needs for Aging Well 

Presenters: Laura Klinger, PhD and Claire Klein, MA

About this session:

Autistic individuals are at higher risk of developing aging-related conditions compared to the general population of adults and non-autistic adults with intellectual disability. This session will review United States based health insurance data (i.e., Medicaid and Medicare) to identify the population of older autistic adults that will need care, will provide an overview of the prevalence of aging-related conditions (e.g., cognitive decline, parkinsonism, depression) in autistic adults, and will describe service use and needs among middle aged and older autistic adults. Based on these needs, recommendations for clinical care will be discussed, including a framework for how to support “aging well” to ensure a high quality of life for autistic adults as they age. 

The current session, “Clinical Considerations in Working with Older Autistic Adults: Identifying and Supporting Needs for Aging Well,” is led by Dr. Laura Klinger and Claire Klein. At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to: 

1. Describe aging-related health conditions and service needs in autistic adults 
2. Discuss cohort effects and their implications for aging in autism research and clinical practice 
3. Understand recommendations for clinical care in aging autistic adults to support “aging well”

About the presenters:

Laura Klinger (she/her), PhD is the Director of the TEACCH Autism Program and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a clinical psychologist with extensive experience in community-based care and methods to support the implementation of evidence-based practices in community settings. Her research focuses on identifying and supporting service needs for individuals across the lifespan with a focus on promoting positive adult outcomes. Her current projects include current randomized controlled trials examining the efficacy of a transition to adulthood program for autistic adolescents and young adults and two comparative efficacy studies examining mental health therapies for autistic children and adults. She is also following a longitudinal cohort of 25-60-year-old autistic adults who were served by TEACCH during childhood and examining outcomes related to employment, quality of life, and aging.

Claire Klein (she/her), MA is a fifth-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program at UNC Chapel Hill with Dr. Laura Klinger. Her clinical interests include assessment and evidence-based practice across the lifespan for individuals of all abilities. She has experience delivering and researching interventions for autistic individuals from early childhood through adulthood, from NDBIs to transition to adulthood programs for young adults with and without intellectual disability. Claire’s research interests are in the development and study of measurement tools to examine clinical outcomes and intervention mechanisms in autism, examining developmental trajectories of autistic individuals across the lifespan, and identifying service gaps to develop approaches to promote well-being in older adulthood.

Session Materials

Recorded on July 24, 2024