In 2017, Autism Canada, The Pacific Autism Family Network, and ARI facilitated a think tank on ASD in adulthood and later life in Vancouver, BC. Meetings focused on collaboration around common priorities to advance research, knowledge, and solutions for issues related to autism in middle adulthood and beyond. A summary of this international meeting was published in May 2020, in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
A second meeting was held in November 2023. This Think Tank consisted of presentations focusing on key issues as well as a series of panel presentations addressing first-person lived experience, family caregiving, service provision in the community, and physical and mental health-based care. Discussion reflected lived experiences and care needs in this population, with an ultimate aim of advancing healthcare and community support. A summary of this meeting was published June 2025, in the BMC Proceedings.
“Over the past decade, there has been a growing interest in adults on the autistic spectrum, and more recently, the challenges related to aging in this population. A two-day Think Tank meeting, focused on aging in autism, was convened amongst international leaders in the field of autism research and practice. This meeting included a series of presentations addressing the current status of aging research, followed by discussions regarding priorities going forward. Attendees shared their thoughts and concerns regarding community services, government policies, societal perspectives, and physical and mental health. The goal of these discussions was to consider systematic approaches aimed at providing meaningful supports that can ensure a quality of life for seniors on the autism spectrum.”
Read the 2020 journal article online
“As the number of older autistic adults and adults with intellectual disabilities grows, expanding capacity to meet their needs is crucial. On November 23-25, 2023, a Think Tank on aging in autism and/or intellectual disabilities was convened, with national and international delegates within this field. The Think Tank consisted of presentations focusing on key issues as well as a series of panel presentations addressing first-person lived experience, family caregiving, service provision in the community, and physical and mental health-based care. Discussion reflected lived experiences and care needs in this population, with an ultimate aim of advancing healthcare and community support. Delegates, who represent perspectives as self-advocates, family caregivers, service providers, clinicians and researchers, ranked guidelines and areas of focus identified in the literature in terms of the most important priorities for the near-term development of capacity-building resources.”
Read the 2025 journal article online