On October 3, 2025, researchers from around the world attended the first-ever United Nations think tank in New York City focusing on healthcare and quality of life issues for Autistic people over the age of 50. The aim was to summarize key issues facing aging autism communities around the world and discuss potential paths forward.
This event included a mixture of researchers, caregivers, clinicians, medical doctors, and/or allies. Several of the think tank participants were Autistic or otherwise neurodivergent. The audience included neurodivergent people, members of the deaf community, graduate students, and researchers. People were also able to participate and send in questions via the livestream.
This think tank was made possible by contributions from the Autism Research Institute and the Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation. It was hosted by the Autism Advisory Council of the Government of Malta. Malta has made advances in autism inclusion via their National Autism Strategy, which includes a focus on education, employment, and health services.
You can watch a playback of the 3-hour event here.
What is a think tank?
A think tank is an event that brings experts of varied backgrounds together to discuss specific topics of interest. While there are many different types of think tanks, this one focused on exploring areas of concern and allowing time for think tank participants to consider paths for moving forward. There were 10 main topics discussed, with 15-20 minutes allocated to each. Each topic was introduced by a presenter, who provided a brief summary of the issue, before opening the discussion for participants to provide their perspectives on best paths forward. The topics included healthcare barriers, physical and mental health challenges, dementia, late diagnosis, and loneliness associated with aging and autism.
Who were the presenters and what did they talk about?
The full list of topics and presenters can be found on the Autism Research Institute’s page for this event. Some selected highlights of presenters with lived experience of autism include:
- Dr. Alistair de Gaetano, the Chairperson of the Autism Advisory Council for the Government of Malta, presented on financial vulnerability and support for exercising legal capacity for Autistic seniors. Dr. de Gaetano is a lawyer who completed his PhD studies on the denial of rights of Autistic people. He has developed key legislation and policies to reform the disability and autism sectors in Malta.
- Dr. Mary Doherty, the founder of Autistic Doctor’s International, presented on Autistic experiences of breast cancer. Dr. Doherty has been a pioneer in the field of improving medical accommodations and supports for patients in healthcare settings via her research implementing the Autistic SPACE Framework.
- Dr. Deena Gassner, a Senior Research Scientist for the AJ Drexel Autism Institute, presented on navigating and reducing healthcare barriers for Autistic seniors. Her research explores the healthcare needs of Autistic people, suicide prevention, and the costs of administrative burden in systems navigation.
What happens next?
The participants in the think tank will write a journal article to summarize the key findings and recommendations for future research. This article will be shared with autism and aging researchers around the world to provide guidance on important areas to consider when designing studies and gathering data for analysis. Depending on the amount of material gathered in the writing process, it is possible that a book on the topic may be written in the future as well.
Additionally, the organizations involved in this think tank will be pursuing additional funding to make this an annual autism-focused think tank at the United Nations. The area of focus will not necessarily be aging every time, but it is hoped that an annual autism-focused meeting will help to highlight the evolving needs of neurodivergent people around the world.
What can I do with this information?
Think tanks are a great opportunity for people to learn more about research that is happening on a specific topic. If you want to learn more about a researcher or a topic that they mentioned in the recording linked above, you can search for their name and find their research or clinical lab.
Most researchers will have a list of studies they have published on a topic, links to webinars or presentations they have done in the past and contact information in case you would like to be part of their studies. If you would like to review any studies they have published, use AIDE Canada’s Evaluating research for yourself: How to find, interpret, and weigh evidence in science articles toolkit to help.
To learn more about autism and aging, check out our Aging Collection.
Photo by Kampus Production on Pexels
