A systematic review of quality of life of adults on the autism spectrum

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Ayres, M., Parr, J. R., Rodgers, J., Mason, D., Avery, L., & Flynn, D. (2017). A systematic review of quality of life of adults on the autism spectrum. Autism, 22(7), 774-783. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361317714988

Publication date: 12 Aug 2017 Added to AutiHub: 18 Sep 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
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Authors

Publication authors
6
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 6 (16.7%)
  1. Michael Ayres
  2. Jeremy R. Parr
  3. Jacqui Rodgers
  1. David Mason *
  2. Leah Avery
  3. Darren Flynn

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder is associated with co-existing conditions that may adversely affect an individual’s quality of life. No systematic review of quality of life of adults on the autism spectrum has been conducted. Our objectives were as follows: (1) review the evidence about quality of life for adults on the autism spectrum; (2) critically appraise current practice in assessing quality of life of adults on the autism spectrum. We searched bibliographic databases and other literature to identify studies using a direct measure of quality of life of adults on the autism spectrum. Hand searching of reference lists, citation searching and personal communication with field experts were also undertaken. In total, 827 studies were identified; 14 were included. Only one quality of life measure designed for use with the general autism spectrum population was identified. Quality of life of adults on the autism spectrum is lower than that of typically developing adults, when measured with tools designed for the general population. There are no comprehensive autism spectrum disorder–specific quality of life measurement tools validated for use with representative samples of adults on the autism spectrum. There is a pressing need to develop robust measures of quality of life of autistic adults.

Bibliography cited by this reference

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Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 2 Oct 2026 01:01.

Cited references
38
With a DOI
32
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
6
0 / 38 (0.0%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
5 / 38 (13.2%)
References with detected author names
34 / 38 (89.5%)
Without detected author names
4
Without a structured title
5
Without a stable identifier
6
References with raw author names still to review
0
References with external metadata lookup issues
1
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
123
From DOI or external metadata
123
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
0
22 / 123 (17.9%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 101 / 123 (82.1%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
0 / 123 (0.0%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 0 / 22 (0.0%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 0 / 109 (0.0%).
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