Uploaded May 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
How Age – and Age of Diagnosis – Affect Quality of Life
Free certificates of participation are available upon successful completion of a brief knowledge quiz at autism.org/age-and-diagnosis
Gray Atherton, PhD, has a BSc in Child Development from Vanderbilt University, a Master’s in Counselling from University of Houston, and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and Individual Differences from University of Houston. She has previously lectured at University of Houston and the University of Wolverhampton. Prior to entering academia, Gray was a counselor for adolescents with neurodevelopmental conditions. “I am interested in understanding how people with autism spectrum condition see the social world. Specifically, I explore individual differences in social processing and how these differences often found in people with autism also exist in the general population. I also investigate anthropomorphism, or seeing the human in the non-human, and how this relates to social processing in autism. To investigate this I am developing virtual reality techniques that allow for anthropomorphic experiences. My other research interest lies more broadly in embodied social processing. I am particularly interested in how movement can affect the way we see ourselves and our social partners, and how this can be used to understand special populations.”
00:00 - Intro
2:30 – Autism prevalence estimates
5:00 – Diagnosis differences by gender
8:30 – Autism through the ages
10:30 – DSM description evolution
13:15 – Special education and the Salamanca Statement
17:10 – Changes in autism assessments
18:20 – The lost generation
21:00 – Study: Age of Diagnosis, Autistic Traits, and Quality of Life
23:25 – Results
27:00 – Quality of life and aging
31:00 – Study recap
31:30 – Study: Lived experiences of late diagnosed adults
33:20 – Themes and results
34:25 – Participant quotes
39:00 – How to disclose
41:20 – Overview of study results
44:35 – Future directions
47:22 – References and contact information
47:30 – Q &A
How Age – and Age of Diagnosis – Affect Quality of Life
Free certificates of participation are available upon successful completion of a brief knowledge quiz at autism.org/age-and-diagnosis
Gray Atherton, PhD, has a BSc in Child Development from Vanderbilt University, a Master’s in Counselling from University of Houston, and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and Individual Differences from University of Houston. She has previously lectured at University of Houston and the University of Wolverhampton. Prior to entering academia, Gray was a counselor for adolescents with neurodevelopmental conditions. “I am interested in understanding how people with autism spectrum condition see the social world. Specifically, I explore individual differences in social processing and how these differences often found in people with autism also exist in the general population. I also investigate anthropomorphism, or seeing the human in the non-human, and how this relates to social processing in autism. To investigate this I am developing virtual reality techniques that allow for anthropomorphic experiences. My other research interest lies more broadly in embodied social processing. I am particularly interested in how movement can affect the way we see ourselves and our social partners, and how this can be used to understand special populations.”
00:00 - Intro
2:30 – Autism prevalence estimates
5:00 – Diagnosis differences by gender
8:30 – Autism through the ages
10:30 – DSM description evolution
13:15 – Special education and the Salamanca Statement
17:10 – Changes in autism assessments
18:20 – The lost generation
21:00 – Study: Age of Diagnosis, Autistic Traits, and Quality of Life
23:25 – Results
27:00 – Quality of life and aging
31:00 – Study recap
31:30 – Study: Lived experiences of late diagnosed adults
33:20 – Themes and results
34:25 – Participant quotes
39:00 – How to disclose
41:20 – Overview of study results
44:35 – Future directions
47:22 – References and contact information
47:30 – Q &A
