A longitudinal study of loneliness in autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities: Coping with loneliness from childhood through adulthood.
Hillary Schiltz, Dena Gohari, Jamie Park and 1 others
PMID 38153097WHAT IT FOUND
Loneliness in autistic people and those with other neurodevelopmental disabilities increased significantly from adolescence into early adulthood.
Participants who felt lonely as children were likely to remain lonely. Coping strategies shifted toward distraction and seeking social contact as people aged.
Key findings
01Loneliness ratings on the ADOS increased significantly from age 19 to age 25, with age 25 showing the highest proportion of participants endorsing loneliness.
02Individuals who reported higher loneliness earlier in life tended to maintain those higher reports over time, showing rank-order stability.
03The most common coping strategies were behavioral distraction and instrumental action (seeking social contact), with the use of distraction increasing with age.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Sample size varied across time points due to attrition and missing data, with limited numbers of participants having consecutive measurements. The sample was predominantly White and male, and had higher IQs and lower autism symptom severity than those lost to attrition, limiting generalizability. The Asher Loneliness Scale has not been psychometrically validated in autistic samples. Causality cannot be inferred; it is unclear whether coping strategies reduce loneliness or if lonely individuals simply use more strategies. The cohort was recruited in the early 1990s, so findings may not generalize to individuals diagnosed later or in current social contexts.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The study was supported by NIH grants.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that loneliness is stable or decreasing in adulthood. The study found a significant increase in loneliness from age 19 to 25, suggesting that the transition to adulthood is a vulnerable period requiring continued support.