Exploring the Social Experiences and Preferences of Autistic Adults in Midlife and Older Age: A Co-Produced Qualitative Study

This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. one author of this publication is identified as autistic in the project.

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Fahey, N., Jenkins, C. A., Chan, W. L., Najda, K., Eshetu, A., Happé, F., & Stewart, G. R. (2026). Exploring the Social Experiences and Preferences of Autistic Adults in Midlife and Older Age: A Co-Produced Qualitative Study [Preprint]. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9940175/v1

Journal or book title
Research Square
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Publication date: 8 Jun 2026 Added to AutiHub: 6 Jul 2026 Type: Preprint Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) OpenAlex source

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Authors

Publication authors
7
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 7 (14.3%)
  1. Nell Fahey
  2. Christine A. Jenkins *
  3. Wing Lam Chan
  4. Karolina Najda
  1. Aphrodite Eshetu
  2. Francesca Happé
  3. Gavin Robert Stewart

Abstract

Abstract Adults often experience reduced social connectedness with increased age, and lack of social support can be associated with poorer quality of life. However, the social experiences and preferences of autistic adults in midlife and older age have not yet been qualitatively studied. A total of 33 autistic participants aged 40-78 years took part in our co-produced semi-structured interview study about their social preferences and experiences. Using thematic analysis, we created three themes. Themes 1 and 2, “The Impact of Ageing and Changes to Life Circumstances on Social Experiences” and "Consistency of Social Experiences Throughout Life”, directly contrasted. Theme 3 explored "Hopes and Concerns about the Present and Future”. These themes highlight the varied impact of ageing, resulting in the overarching sentiment that “one size does not fit all” when considering the social needs of autistic adults in midlife and older age. Although some aspects remained consistent, many reported reduced or more challenging social experiences with age, with many expressing concerns about the future. Motivations and barriers were also found to differ with age. These findings highlight targets for social support for older autistic adults, and the need for further research into specific age-related factors impacting their social experiences.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

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: 3 Oct 2026 01:00.

Cited references
45
With a DOI
41
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
4
7 / 45 (15.6%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
4 / 45 (8.9%)
References with detected author names
43 / 45 (95.6%)
Without detected author names
2
Without a structured title
4
Without a stable identifier
4
References with raw author names still to review
2
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
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
189
From DOI or external metadata
189
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
2
91 / 189 (48.1%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 98 / 189 (51.9%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
8 / 189 (4.2%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 8 / 91 (8.8%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 7 / 150 (4.7%).
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