Autism Through the Ages: A Mixed Methods Approach to Understanding How Age and Age of Diagnosis Affect Quality of Life.

Autism diagnosis was self-reported and not confirmed by formal testing. The survey measured people at one time point, so it cannot show that diagnosis timing changes quality of life. Seventeen typically developed participants with clinical-range autistic traits were removed, so the comparison group was screened for autism-like traits. The qualitative part included eight adults, all diagnosed after age 18 and mostly recently diagnosed, so themes may not apply to all autistic adults. All interview participants were white, and the interview sample came from an online survey, not from clinical records. Quality of life was measured by combining five self-report scores, so the result depends on that composite rather than one direct measure.

Do not conclude that later diagnosis causes poorer quality of life. The study measured self-report associations without following people over time, and the interviews covered adults diagnosed in adulthood.