Aging Collection
AIDE Canada and partners have a wealth of resources around the topic of aging in autism for your perusal. Here is an overview including webinars, toolkits and infographics on topics ranging from bone health, healthy aging, and Preventing Age Related Ailments
Your Own Aging as an Autistic Adult
In this video, Dr. Grandin shares her experiences with aging and the impact it can have on mental health issues like anxiety. She provides insight and helpful suggestions for autistic people who may be struggling with their mental
health as they age. This resource was developed in partnership with the Pacific Autism Family Network.
Studies of autistic adults, especially those that are seniors, have been limited. Join us as four leading researchers share some of their findings and discuss topics such as dementia, diabetes, GI issues, Parkinson's, and improving quality
of life for autistic seniors. We will have presentations by top researchers out of Canada, the Netherlands, Australia, and the United States and time for the audience to ask questions as we discuss the unique challenges that autistic
individuals face as they age.
Planning for your Loved-Ones's Aging
A record of abilities is a straightforward way to document and/or illustrate a person’s functional and cognitive abilities over time. It can be helpful when working with or caring for older individuals with developmental disability.
This infographic can help you get started using this tool.
Get an early start on planning for your family member’s aging process. This infographic gives some ideas for consideration and places to start.
This video was developed to assist family and care givers of persons with intellectual or developmental disability. It describes steps and resources that family and caregivers can use to help maintain their loved one's quality of life as they
age. (Currently Unavailable)
This informative resource includes chapters discussing important things aging caregivers can consider preparing for the future regarding legal decisions, housing, support services, and employment options. Information is broken into supports
for caregivers and supports for adult children
Age Related Ailments and Autism
Adults with developmental disabilities are at higher risk of developing osteoporosis – a bone disease that makes them vulnerable to fractures. This infographic points out some key facts and tips about osteoporosis and developmental
disability. (Currently Unavailable)
This short video presents how to prevent age-related ailments
This video is about the aging process in people with DD. The aging process for humans is similar except instead of individuals telling us, we must know what to look for. Individuals with ID/DD have a higher risk of developing chronic health
conditions at younger ages than other adults, due to biological factors related to syndromes and associated developmental disabilities, problems accessing adequate health care, and lifestyle and environmental issues.
Falls become a risk earlier for people with developmental disabilities. That’s because the aging process starts as early as 40 years old. This tip sheet contains factors to consider for persons with developmental disability.
Research
Over the last almost 3 years researchers, clinicians, autistic people, autistic scientists, and families have been working on developing recommendations on what can be done in the next 5 years to address the current needs of autistic
individuals and families worldwide. The commission was published in December 2021. The webinar will review the key points of the commission as they pertain to recommendation about the health wellbeing of individuals, systems, and
policy.
More needs to be learned about aging in autism. In this Think Tank report, future research needs were noted to include the engagement and perspectives of autistic individuals. As autism is experienced across the lifespan, support needs to be available across the life course.
