Why do many autistic people die before the age of 40?

[Auti]

Study finds Autistic adults with learning disability life expectancy is 39

Also autistic adults without learning disability are nine times more likely to commit suicide than the general population.

Autistic adults without learning disability (Aspergers and High functioning autism) life expectancy is 58

Shocking figures but not a great surprise to many autistic adults I'd say.

[VertigoNun]

Fii is munchousens by proxy.

Can you imagine bring up child with complex invisible conditions, being a woman having it all undiagnosed yourself and the bullying?

We have the connective tissue, digestive and autonomic conditions dx, along with dyslexia. There is research to show we are likely on the autistic spectrum.

To be honest the thought of living to 90 sickens me, I am happy with late fifties personally.

Neurotypical people can be very horrible, on top of all the symptoms.

[hedgehogsdontbite]

Some people on AIBU treat everyone like shit. They just need a way in.

Oh I know and I do try to not let it get to me. The reason I linked it though is because it's a good example of normal life for an adult with HFA. For us it's not just an AIBU. We face this every single day in real life too. The tutting, the eye rolling, the name calling, the sarky comments is part of pretty much every social interaction I have. It's soul destroying.

[VertigoNun]

I wonder what the DV figures are like for those on the autistic spectrum.

[hedgehogsdontbite]

I remember back in my 20s (just about) watching a programme on suicide on day time tv. At the end they gave out the Samaritans number and said to call if you ever had thoughts about ending your own life. I remember being so confused by that message because they talked as if this something unusual and I couldn't relate it to the fact that I'd never known a day in my life without those thought. To me feeling that way was normal and always had been.

[Auti]

From the BBC article.

The research, carried out by the Karolinska Institute, found that those with autism and an associated learning disability, died more than 30 years early - with the average age of death being 39.

Sorry Fanjo the quote about life expectancy for autism with learning disability came from BBC article not the Independent article.
The Independent article seems short and lazy, especially with pictures of Downs Syndrome people pictured as autistic. The BBC article was more informative IMO.

My DP's aunt had autism with a learning disability, she was 42 when she died. :(

I have Aspergers syndrome being diagnosed at the age of 46.

I have self harmed, suffered with depression and anxiety most of my adult life.

I have also self medicated to turn my head off-a broken autonomic nervous system means that when I get stressed, I cannot calm down like an NT person. I describe my brain as revving its head off like a car engine, with someone placing a brick on accelerator but the gear in neutral.

A friend who is a psychiatric nurse told me recently that a lot of autistic people she knew off were first diagnosed with substance abuse and then found out the underlying cause was undiagnosed autism.

I tried to kill myself once and still think about killing myself often.

I wouldn't wish autism on anyone

[fanjoforthemammaries7850]

It's OK Auti. Sorry -I had just woken and got a shock.

But I see from other posts it's probably something I do need to accept and think about for DD.

I am sorry you suffer so much :(

[fanjoforthemammaries7850]

I do know more than one person with Downs plus autism but yes that does sound like they were probably just lazy.

[Pedestriana]

I've a friend with high functioning autism/asperger's. Now 50, but only diagnosed at 45. Coupled with HFA there are issues around depression, PTSD (childhood orphanage placements), OCD and a number of chronic health issues.
Friend has sensory issues and struggles hugely with going to the dentist and as a result has frequent pain. Dentist does not seem to be able to manage autism well when dealing with friend. Friend's GP is also not helpful and seems to think friend should join a support group and get on with it.
Consequently friend has been very unwell of late (possibly pleurisy) and has not sought any medication.
Sadly, I think friend may not reach 60.

[guerre]

Thank you for highlighting this, Auti.
When you think how stressful life is for people with ASD, it's not surprising really. All bad stress too, not good stress.

[VertigoNun]

www.buzzfeed.com/tomchivers/people-with-autism-are-dying-young-and-theres-not-enough-mon?utm_term=.iyY12QBL32#.yeW5nWDg3n

[SantasLittleMonkeyButler]

DS1 has a life expectancy of 58 then. And is 9 times more likely to commit suicide.

I'm not sure I wanted to know that today TBH .

[Caprinihahahaha]

I don't think it's anything any of us wanted to know but unless someone starts talking about it, it will never get better.

[VertigoNun]

The NAS has a statement. We have not gone for an Autism assessment as I was put off my the lack of training in women and on here I read of a team shouting at someone to stop masking, who needs that?

No need for a pension then.

[fanjoforthemammaries7850]

Santas

[ALemonyPea]

I listened to this on This Morning, and was glad my DC weren't in the room.

DS2 has autism, and day to day life is stressful and worrying enough without worrying about a shortened life expectancy as well.

[Auti]

Thanks Fanjo, Polter and Guerre.

I am sorry for the distress this news has caused parents here, I have a daughter too who is showing signs of difficulty at the age of 8. I too am afraid for her future.
However as Capri said if these things are not highlighted nothing will change, awareness comes before action.

I think change will come with help from aware and caring NT's because sadly as a group autistic people are not too great at looking after and standing up for ourselves.

[fanjoforthemammaries7850]

Don't feel bad..you didn't make the statistics up and the news is everywhere today!

[kelda]

Very distressing to read. My ds (with epilepsy and a list of SN including possible ASD but no definite diagnosis) works so hard to be happy.

I can only hope that over the years things will change for him, and for other children. We are getting as much help for him as possible - therapy, medication, understanding.

[PacificDogwod]

DS1 has a life expectancy of 58 then. And is 9 times more likely to commit suicide

Santas, oh honey, that is NOT the case - nobody knows what life expectancy anybody has!
Statistics are absolutely useless in predicting individual outcomes. I'm no autism expert, but when it comes to, say, cancer being told 'your disease has a 5 year survival rate of 10%' is devastating, but in fact nobody knows whether the person is going to be among the 10% or the 90%.

Average life expectancy of x years includes ALL the v young deaths and those who die at a much older age. A mean life expectancy would be much more interesting IMO.

My DS4(6) was v upset the other day when he heard somewhere that women have a longer life expectance than men because he though that daddy was going to die soon. It was quite hard to explain to him the intricacies of statistics…

There's no denying the horrible health implication for people on the spectrum, both for physical and in particular mental poor health, but look at it as a heads up, not a verdict

ovenchips, aw shucks, thanks . One tries. Sometimes in the face of adversity

Queen, if you felt a diagnosis would be helpful to you, do go and ask about it again. Whoever you saw sounds a bit… horrible ignorant. There are other GPs out there, honest.
I think the perception that it is a 'children's disease' or condition is due to the lack of available support for adults with ASD. I think it is vitally important that children get diagnosed as soon as possible in order to get support in at school and at home etc. High functioning adults with autism will be seen as less of a priority because they are, well, 'high functioning'. At what cost that high level of going about their business in the Real World comes is not part of the consideration
If you think having a diagnosis (or indeed being told that you don't meet the criteria) would help you either simply as an explanation for your difficulties or on a practical level, don't be put off pursuing it again.

I often lurk on the SN/Neurodiversity threads and I tellya, it is an education

[NickiFury]

Oh this has made me cry. I have two DC with HFA. I suspected as much but hard to see it there in black and white.

[notonyurjellybellynelly]

To be honest its hasn't distressed me for my sons sake because Ive always known this to be the case after being told by Lorna Wing when my son was 5. He's now 25. So as the years were going by we lived by prevention being better than cure.

Our current worry for him long term is Diabetes as all of his excess weight is on his tummy, but we've just introduced a new medication for him and we're hoping it will reduce the need for the vela tab Olanzapine we give in emergency situations which for the last 7 months have been occurring every second day. And as I said previously we steal calories from him so 100 here and there eventually mounts up and Im hoping we can get 8kilos off him in the next year. He likes to eat healthily and exercise, he's desperate for a 6 pack thats never going to happen, but for instance when my family are here today and we're having a cuppa he'll go and run round the garden 20 times if he has a digestive biscuit. He knows if he eats above and beyond what's on his board he has to either cut down or run round the garden and he wont cut down so its run round the garden. Currently we are battling a 12 kilo weight gain due to the Olanzapine and with the history of age onset diabetes we have in the family the weight gain is not good for him.

I dont know how things would have panned out for him health wise if Lorna Wing hadn't spoken to me years ago when he was having his assessment. It was just a general conversation when we were washing the lunch dishes and my son was with Judith Gould. But it stuck in my mind.

And even Lorna Wing for all she was a world authority on autism couldn't prevent her daughter dying a very sad death after she drank so much water she died of water intoxication at a not very old age. People say Autism isn't a life limiting illness but Im not so sure it isn't. I think Autism is so relentless that if someone lived to be 75 they must feel as if they're 150.

[VertigoNun]

www.newscientist.com/article/2081560-time-to-tackle-new-health-crisis-of-lives-cut-short-by-autism/?utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=SOC&utm_campaign=hoot&cmpid=SOC%7CNSNS%7C2016-GLOBAL-hoot

[ghostoftheMNchicken]

I have heard anorexia is common in HFA, as well (particularly in girls). Not sure how true that is, but given what everyone has said about stress I suspect it is true. I have a DD on the spectrum. It gives me the fucking chills.

Haven't even thought about her risk of diabetes yet. Type 2 is strong in my family (as in my father, my sister, my brother all diagnosed) and she eats far too much sugar. Christ on a fucking unicycle.