Autonomy as we age: Autistic older people

Presenter: Cos Michael

Older autistic people are almost invisible in society and as we age and, what little presence we have is eroded by policy and health and social care services. We are assigned to the generic grouping of the elderly, with services designed for a homogenous group, so we are disappeared. 

If the average lifespan is 75 years, one third of all autistic people is aged over 50. Yet neither the Autism Strategy (for England) or any document from the National Autism Taskforce includes the words ageing or older - what's more, most people haven't even noticed the omission. 

 In this talk, Cos will cover issues around identity, finding peace in our environment and living a meaningful life. To support this, she will also outline aspects of maintaining our best possible health, self care and independence as we grow older.

About the presenter 

Cos is an autistic speaker at conferences in the UK and abroad. She also teaches and writes about aspects of autistic adulthood and ageing, since leaving the NAS, where she led their ageing and autism workstream. She has worked on various research projects around health and welfare in autistic adulthood and co-authored research papers. Other publications include articles in the journals, ‘Autism’ and ‘Autism in Adulthood’ and a co-authored book chapter. Over a long career, Cos has worked at the BBC, the National Sound Archive and in the theatre. 

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