Autistics die younger and what can be done.

NAS press release on the topic here http://www.autism.org.uk/get-involved/media-centre/news/autistica-report.aspx

The press release is good background and it contains a link to the autistica org that published the research. This link https://www.autistica.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Personal-tragedies-public-crisis.pdf is the research report itself.

Many Autistic people do not have a family so the question is Should the State or Local Government give extra help to Autistic people?   When I lived in Brent I had a Social Worker and a Freedom Pass.  Barnet did not recognise Asperger Syndrome so did not give me a Social Worker of a Freedom Pass that happened when I moved to Barnet about twenty years ago.  At the beginning I did have a Psychologist when I moved to Barnet as I had in Brent.  It is true that even in  Brent I did not see the Social Worker for about a year as they say that there is no need to have appointments unless you need help with something.  I saw a Social Worker again when I wanted to move into my own flat from a Group Home.   The advantage was that in Brent I was registered with the Social Services but in Barnet I am not even registered with Social Services.

David

I think it may be more to do is that we don't find it easy to share what going off for us.  A little bit of that and perhaps because we don't find it easy Dr's may be mis diagnosing us or as off what was suggested about those with learning difficulties dying younger.  Plus Suicide may be higher for us as our struggles are not understood by those trying to help us and one struggle gets sorted out another appears and we find it too much.  It not rocket science 'we' may not be living as long as our contempariots without Autism/ASD Scale. But people not on the ASD Spectrum don't understand what it is like even those who are really good with us mis things. So people who are impatent  with us and we not able to seek other help yes life is difficult and we need people around us to help us and we can help them to help us but so hard to do at times. 

It too easy to write people off.

Yes I think they tend to diagnose people with Autism who are not coping that was said during a programme about Autism last Monday.  I suspect with public spending cuts the Government have not got the resources to increase support for Autistic people.

David Shamash

I suspect that the statistics reflect the fact that a diagnosis of autism (or anything else) means that you have problems that are serious enough to warrant assistance. i.e. people at increased risk of mental difficulties and therefore at increased risk of suicide are more likely to commit suicide. Also people with learning difficulties, alongside their autism, are also less able to keep themselves safe. There are significant numbers of people with autistic traits who do not get diagnosed because they are managing and these will not be included in the statistics on the autistic segment of the data samples.

Personally (the opinion coming from a person with Autism) I could see the potential risk of ASD orientated individuals dying younger than 'normal'. If you look at Downsydroyme sufferers, they generically dye younger than average. ASD is a social condition which in my case, can cause great depression, upset and vunerability (mentally wise). I think it is important to take both the metal symptoms and physical symptoms into account, because, most ASD sufferers have no physical issues, their mental capacity are invariably affected; this if any contributing factors a tall, would be the the one which reduces the life span.

Just die of natural death, I'm probably stepping out of line, but I think that some autistic people might kill themselves because of the struggle of everything. I'm probably well off, but if it's true that might hinder the results?