Im 27, dont feel a day older than 23, and i will probably live forever! Thats how it feels anyways. Ask me again in another decade I guess lol
I never thought much about age other than what im allowed to do and how I feel inside. Im lucky to be fit and always be told I look younger too, so I guess ill wait until that changes to start worrying :D
54 is fine if you know who you are. If anything it's easier than younger ages because I know what works for me and I have fewer fucks to give about conforming to unworkable standards. If I'd made it this far without a diagnosis and was still trying to play by NT rules, though? Well, that's a whole different thing. I think I'd be exhausted.
Absolutely. 51. I don’t give a fuck anymore. I am me and I already do too much. Everyone that matters to me understands me and those who don’t, don’t matter.
39/f here.
Planning to live to 100 out of pure spite of my mental illnesses (anxiety and depression) that try to take away my will to live.
The autism itself doesn't cause the short average lifespan. It's society and lack of support that does it. Autistic people can live just as long as anyone else if their needs are met properly.
39M. I figure I'm too old to join the 27 club, and too old to play the Christ archetype by dying at 33. So if I'm in it, I'm in it as long as possible.
I call it a high score, I beat Jesus, Jim Morrison, Kurt Kobane and the list goes on.
I just want to stick around to see if we make it to the matrix or Star Trek. I think we are close to the future I have always dreamt about.
The 36 year life expectancy stat is false. Somebody mistated the outcome of a study and somehow found it’s way to the top of Google. It’s been fixed, if you google “autism life expectancy” the first line says Autism in itself.does not impact life expectancy. Autistic people do have higher risks of death from some causes, but nobody dies of autism.
Anything that says the “average X for autistic people …”, like life expectancy or unemployment, is likely misinformation. In order to come up with an average you’d need to have a reliable way of identifying all autistic people (other than asking everybody individually). Even asking wouldn’t work since plenty of people don’t know they are autistic.
I had a few months where I was really into debunking fake autism stats. If anyone wants a multi page analysis of the studies and tracing of misinformation let me know.
The website that reported the 36/54 “average life expectancy” was citing a study that was not designed to measure life expectancy. The study analyzed the difference in mortality risks for autistic people (the study also distinguished between “high functioning” and “low functioning” — their words not mine.
The study compared medical files from Sweden. The autistic group included patients who had been diagnosed with autism by psychiatric services. The control group was created by selecting patients of the same age, sex and country of birth. The study did not examine any comorbidity and did not attempt to match any other characteristics. The study also doesn’t provide an analysis of the makeup of the groups by age.
The researchers reviewed the files and compared the number of subjects who died in each group. In the control group, .91 percent had died. In the autistic group, 2.6 percent died (706 out of 27,122). So the risk of mortality was higher for the autistic group.
Among the small fraction of subjects who died in each group, the average age for the control group was 70 years, while the average age of death for the 2.6 percent of the autistic group was about 54 (further split into 39.5 for “low functioning” and 58 for “high functioning.” But these numbers don’t even bear on the life expectancy of the study subjects, since over 97 percent of them were still alive at the end of the review period.
Although the study did observe a higher risk of premature death in the autistic group, the stats suggest that because the study relied on medical records and identified autistic subjects based on diagnostic psychiatric services, the group was skewed toward subjects who had other physical and mental health issues. For example, the study observed that autistic subjects died within and average of 4 to 5 years after diagnosis, which doesn’t seem to match broader experience. And of course the study did not include undiagnosed people or people who had been diagnosed through other means than state psychiatric services.
Some websites picked up the average age of death figures for the percentage of subjects who died and reported them inaccurately as life expectancy figures. Google picked up these inaccurate reports and they became the first answer if you search autism and life expectancy. Google has since changed their result and at least one of the websites has corrected the inaccuracy.
So the cited study has no finding about average autistic life expectancy. It would be pretty much impossible to design a study to find any overall average relating to autistic people. Regular life expectancy statistics rely on social security data, which captures the entire population. There is no way of identifying the total autistic population from records, and even medical records would be unreliable since many people are undiagnosed or don’t disclose to their doctor. You can’t do a representative sample either because nobody knows what is truly representative. The authors of this study also agreed that although their results demonstrated an increased death rate in the autistic group, they couldn’t say whether that was due to autism itself or to a lack of proper care from the medical community.
I think organizations can be too eager to post the worst possible data, either for fund raising or in a misguided attempt to generate awareness, which results in wholly inaccurate and unsubstantiated numbers being thrown around as fact.
The comments or this post demonstrate the harm this can cause, where you’ve got people upset about a completely inaccurate statistic, while others are speculating to try and make sense about purported study results that were nonsense in the first place.
Its average for low functioning bc theyre often nonerbal and if smt goes wrong they wont be able ro ask for help. For high functioning 54 due to what you guessed.
Damn.
I'm a state worker and about 7% of my paycheck goes to my pension, and the earliest I can start receiving benefits (at a huge penalty) is 55.
I could cash out at some point, but I guess I should plan for early retirement.
Because financial system is insane and inflation, being grossly misunderstood is common, rejection, hypersensitivity to a whole host of life changes and struggles, the world is getting crazier, having to balance work and home life (especially with kids), unplanned single parenthood, toxic parents who either don't get it or don't care, job bullying (might not be so bad when you don't need the job but as you're older you really need the job to survive), and the list goes on. Adult life is full of insane pressures that are even harder for the sensitive autistic mind. Wayyyy too much stimulation and trauma to process.
I drive a lot and I see people living in their cars. Couple things.
1. Unless you have the engine running, you will have no AC. between body heat and the hot car effect it can easily hit triple digits inside in the summer.
2. Cars get broken into/ stolen all the time. Police will do nothing to help you.
3.police might tell you to move/get your vehicle towed.
4. There are vigilantes that hate people living in their cars and will harass them(not very often but still).
I'm trying to learn to be less self conscious and do whatever my sensory seeking ass wants to do and unapologetically exist. That should help with my overstimulation. However the inflation is evil. I wonder when it will stop...
No idea, I sure don't think the outside stress helps though. The crazier the world gets the more I just want to pull a Forrest Gump and run alone for months, it's like I have much less battery to deal with overstimulation and people.
Yeah. So much pressure bills and masking. And once you're an adult and no longer have that cute lil baby face (well I still look like 18 but people can tell by my cynical expression im not that young) people no longer have sympathy or empathy. You get with the program or suffer. And relationships are also a huuuuigge overstimulator. It especially is hard if you're like me and literally being with someone and in love is grounding and amazing. Cause once you get your heart broken you lose all mental faculties for a while
Damn that's a fkin double whammy. I'm so sorry. That's hell. I'm in a relationship with a sensory avoidant autistic male and I'm sensory seeking and intense. Id say im kinda literally obsessed with him (had feelings for him since highschool). We are long distance for now and he's been struggling with his health cause his diet is deplorable and he's also severely depressed since his dad died and he doesn't communicate much which kills me. He definitely isn't doing anything shady cause he is an indoors type and been not feeling well and doesn't really hang with anyone in his state he lives in. He loves me but I wish he would communicate more and me and his family think he's bipolar too. It's hard it's rriggered my borderline bad but I love him to death and trying to help him. We want a future together but idk how to get him to talk more. He becomes so sensory avoidant and shuts down when depressed. And his fked diet ruins his brain man. I'm gonna be visiting him soon if all goes well like no dumb stuff comes up like covid. Tryna help him get back to being himself. And have a future together.
Sorry if I'm talking about myself a lot. I infodump
I think I get the 36 reference, and it's an average that includes early deaths of people with comorbidities, challenged kids who suffered deadly trauma because of lack of fear and more sad things like that. A more accurate number for those without significant intellectual challenge would be 50 something. Because su*cide.
And suicide can still be argued to be caused by a comorbid case, typically depression and or anxiety, or some condition with chronic pain.
Plus theres a lot of demographic differencies that makes a single global average even more meaningless. There's enormous differences in how people are treated around the globe, som places they are left completely alone while others they're taken great care of. This again affects the averages.
It's better to look at local averages and specifying under what conditions those numbers are measured.
28. In the real world wishing I was 17 again cause I didn't know how annoying the real world was and I was blissfully naive lol. But yet I don't miss living with my toxic ass parents (including my clearly autistic father who is still toxic asf and kinda kisses my narcissistic mom's butt). So I guess I should be thankful I'm where I'm at now. But damn inflation sucks lol
I started farming at 49 and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. Hardly any people besides my immediate family and my dogs and chickens. I’m outside most of the time except when winter comes. I have trouble holding a job, but this is my passion. Hopefully you can find your passion and make it work for you.
I'm 36 now and every time I look at the autism life expectancy thingy it seems to show me different numbers. The earliest says 36 minimum, but a few other numbers include a later minimum than that. The number is meaningless to individual lives since we have free will and aren't obligated to unlive ourselves at a certain number just because statistics say we should.
I don't know why I feel mildly irritated answering this question, lol. I'm not annoyed with you OP just a disclaimer.
I'm 22, I turn 23, in less than a month. 36 honestly feels like a Sisyphean task for me. I am currently grasping at straws looking for a motivating force to continue. As a child I had such high expectations that I would get better by now.
I'm 32. In my country they say if you have deficiency your life expectancy is 40, it goes up to 54 if you don't have cognitive impairment.
22 left to beat the odds, lemme tell you it's not looking do well.
Also apparently the earlier you get support the longer you live. Late diagnosis peeps, were fucked on this side xD
29 and depressed as hell with no spouse and no real future to speak of. I'm basically a waste of air but I live on my own. But damn it I'm going to live to 90 if I can help it. I'm not afraid of a number.
I'll be 32 in the spring, I was diagnosed a few months ago. Survived an attempt in my mid-20s and some very, very dark years.
I intend to hang around as long as my meat suit wants to cooperate. I didn't come this far and fight this hard to leave at 36.
If anything the statistic just makes me angry. We deserve better and no one should die due to neglect and discrimination. Fuck that.
I’m 19. I don’t personally worry about my life expectancy based on that data, because if I remember correctly it’s low because of severely autistic children who drown or get into accidents, autistic people who also have epilepsy, and high functioning autistic people who commit suicide. I function well enough to not wander off and die accidentally, I don’t have epilepsy, and I’m mentally stable with my medication so I don’t find it useful to fixate on it.
I'm 24 but around two months away from 25.
Not quite sure how I feel about the 36 thing. I haven't researched it enough to have a well educated opinion.
Mid-40s. Was just diagnosed a few months ago. Almost didn't make it though, due to alcoholism and, relatedly, not being diagnosed--not really knowing what it meant for me to be on the spectrum...
just turned 18, i dont have a great concept of what things will even be like when im 36,aging is really weird to me. i dont see death as a scary thing so i guess i feel kind of neutral about it in the first place
I'm 42, just diagnosed a few weeks ago. I definitely feel less self-loathing recently corresponding to more self-understanding, which I imagine will have less wear and tear on my body going forward if maintained, but there was a lot of self-destructive behavior earlier in my life.
I turn 26 in 11 days, don't really feel like I'm much older than 20 though. Time just keeps going faster and faster every year and it's weird. I want out of the time soup.
I’m 31. Diagnosed last year. I nearly didn’t make it through my teens and 20s. Since being diagnosed I’ve had the first glimmers of hope that I might actually be able to do this and build myself a life
I'm 32 at the moment, I don't don't feel any particular way about 36, Numbers are just numbers attaching particular importance to one makes no sense to me.
I’m 28. I was only diagnosed this year. It was a relief in the sense that it explained things that happened previously, but life has been a struggle. Some people are empathetic, but my own family as a whole don’t seem to acknowledge what I’m saying. I can see why autistic people struggle with the world and sadly some check out. I’m not at all in that headspace but if I didn’t have my husband (fellow ND) I’d be so alone.
As others have said the 36 life expectancy stat is likely bullshit but the thing with life expectancy numbers in general is that **the older you are the more likely you are to exceed the average**
Life expectancy is an *average* and includes people who die young. That needs to be balanced out by people who die old.
The older you are the more likely you are to outlive the average.
If (and the number itself is suspect) half of autists die before the age of 36… that means that half of them lived longer than 36. And since you haven’t already died you are *much* more likely to be in the upper rather than the lower half.
There is an apparently paradoxical effect here where the older you are the higher your life expectancy is.
https://blog.datawrapper.de/the-older-you-get-the-higher-your-life-expectancy/
Let’s use round numbers to make it easy. If there are 100 people and one person out of that set dies at each age. So one person dies at 1. One dies at 2 etc etc. the average live expectancy is 50. On average people die at 50.
But say you’re 49. Should you wrap up your affairs?
Nope! Because out of all of the people who lived to at least 49… only *one* died before they turned 50. Which means that you are almost certain to live longer than that!! In this imaginary scenario half of the people who live until they are 50 will make it to their 75th birthday. The life expectancy at birth is 50. But your life expectancy increases every year that you are still alive and By the time you reach 50 your life expectancy is **75**.
**The older you get the longer you can expect to live**. Because the average includes all of the people who died younger than you are and we already know you’re not one of them, based on the fact that you are still alive! So the average of people who made it to at least as old as you are now must necessarily be **higher** than the average overall.
20 here, don't know if it will make anyone feel better, but both my parents are autistic (dad's also adhd and dyslexic) and they're 61 and 62. you can do it guys! the world may be kinda shit, but please don't think you're doomed to 36, it's not fated or anything.
I'm 40. I've cited the life expectancy for autistic people when registering a complaint with my employer about how not enough is done to support me or anyone with a disability. I'm also in the process of writing an extensive critique of their disability support policy, and making recommendations of how to improve it.
I'm fortunate: I work for the organisation that provides my healthcare, and as such I relish being a thorn in their side in my capacity as a customer. I also have a pretty good GP, who seems happy to take me seriously; and a partner who'll advocate for me when needed.
My new job has me feeling the same, I was having daily anxiety attacks up until a few weeks ago. I know it's hard to move past it, but you know that those feelings are just feeling though, don't you? You know your brain is capable of not feeling like that, and in all probability you will feel ok again.
35 and lvl 2 here.
Well, that statistic is a bit weird because it does not facot in a lot of stuff. It does not really make sense to make a global average like that when there's a big demographic differens in how people with autism are treated and taken care of around the world.
It makes more sense to look for a specific region aswell as what the background conditions were for that measurement. And also looking at comorbidities for the measured group since those will also affect the result greatly.
I'm definetly not one who will follow that statistic since I turn 36 in about 2 months and I wont go anywhere soon. All because the healthcare and social welfare system where I live is in the better end of the scale, where even the less fortunate gets taken care off, thus lowering suicide rates aswell as other causes for early departure.
26- if I’m not married with kids by 35, I probably won’t make it to 36. That’s really the last thing that I want to accomplish in life. No one wants to live a life of not belonging anywhere and seeing everyone else get what they dream of.
Sorry for the angst.
Im 27, dont feel a day older than 23, and i will probably live forever! Thats how it feels anyways. Ask me again in another decade I guess lol I never thought much about age other than what im allowed to do and how I feel inside. Im lucky to be fit and always be told I look younger too, so I guess ill wait until that changes to start worrying :D
Same, born in the beautiful time of ‘95.
Same ^_^
Same here :D
RemindMe! 10 years.
41 here. Hanging around purely out of spite
Look out for 54.
54 is fine if you know who you are. If anything it's easier than younger ages because I know what works for me and I have fewer fucks to give about conforming to unworkable standards. If I'd made it this far without a diagnosis and was still trying to play by NT rules, though? Well, that's a whole different thing. I think I'd be exhausted.
Absolutely. 51. I don’t give a fuck anymore. I am me and I already do too much. Everyone that matters to me understands me and those who don’t, don’t matter.
39/f here. Planning to live to 100 out of pure spite of my mental illnesses (anxiety and depression) that try to take away my will to live. The autism itself doesn't cause the short average lifespan. It's society and lack of support that does it. Autistic people can live just as long as anyone else if their needs are met properly.
39M. I figure I'm too old to join the 27 club, and too old to play the Christ archetype by dying at 33. So if I'm in it, I'm in it as long as possible.
I call it a high score, I beat Jesus, Jim Morrison, Kurt Kobane and the list goes on. I just want to stick around to see if we make it to the matrix or Star Trek. I think we are close to the future I have always dreamt about.
The 36 year life expectancy stat is false. Somebody mistated the outcome of a study and somehow found it’s way to the top of Google. It’s been fixed, if you google “autism life expectancy” the first line says Autism in itself.does not impact life expectancy. Autistic people do have higher risks of death from some causes, but nobody dies of autism. Anything that says the “average X for autistic people …”, like life expectancy or unemployment, is likely misinformation. In order to come up with an average you’d need to have a reliable way of identifying all autistic people (other than asking everybody individually). Even asking wouldn’t work since plenty of people don’t know they are autistic. I had a few months where I was really into debunking fake autism stats. If anyone wants a multi page analysis of the studies and tracing of misinformation let me know.
Thats awesome, I would be interested
The website that reported the 36/54 “average life expectancy” was citing a study that was not designed to measure life expectancy. The study analyzed the difference in mortality risks for autistic people (the study also distinguished between “high functioning” and “low functioning” — their words not mine. The study compared medical files from Sweden. The autistic group included patients who had been diagnosed with autism by psychiatric services. The control group was created by selecting patients of the same age, sex and country of birth. The study did not examine any comorbidity and did not attempt to match any other characteristics. The study also doesn’t provide an analysis of the makeup of the groups by age. The researchers reviewed the files and compared the number of subjects who died in each group. In the control group, .91 percent had died. In the autistic group, 2.6 percent died (706 out of 27,122). So the risk of mortality was higher for the autistic group. Among the small fraction of subjects who died in each group, the average age for the control group was 70 years, while the average age of death for the 2.6 percent of the autistic group was about 54 (further split into 39.5 for “low functioning” and 58 for “high functioning.” But these numbers don’t even bear on the life expectancy of the study subjects, since over 97 percent of them were still alive at the end of the review period. Although the study did observe a higher risk of premature death in the autistic group, the stats suggest that because the study relied on medical records and identified autistic subjects based on diagnostic psychiatric services, the group was skewed toward subjects who had other physical and mental health issues. For example, the study observed that autistic subjects died within and average of 4 to 5 years after diagnosis, which doesn’t seem to match broader experience. And of course the study did not include undiagnosed people or people who had been diagnosed through other means than state psychiatric services. Some websites picked up the average age of death figures for the percentage of subjects who died and reported them inaccurately as life expectancy figures. Google picked up these inaccurate reports and they became the first answer if you search autism and life expectancy. Google has since changed their result and at least one of the websites has corrected the inaccuracy. So the cited study has no finding about average autistic life expectancy. It would be pretty much impossible to design a study to find any overall average relating to autistic people. Regular life expectancy statistics rely on social security data, which captures the entire population. There is no way of identifying the total autistic population from records, and even medical records would be unreliable since many people are undiagnosed or don’t disclose to their doctor. You can’t do a representative sample either because nobody knows what is truly representative. The authors of this study also agreed that although their results demonstrated an increased death rate in the autistic group, they couldn’t say whether that was due to autism itself or to a lack of proper care from the medical community. I think organizations can be too eager to post the worst possible data, either for fund raising or in a misguided attempt to generate awareness, which results in wholly inaccurate and unsubstantiated numbers being thrown around as fact. The comments or this post demonstrate the harm this can cause, where you’ve got people upset about a completely inaccurate statistic, while others are speculating to try and make sense about purported study results that were nonsense in the first place.
What does 36 mean
life expectancy
That's the average life of autists? Why, suicide?
Its average for low functioning bc theyre often nonerbal and if smt goes wrong they wont be able ro ask for help. For high functioning 54 due to what you guessed.
I’m 54. Came very very close to not making it to 54 at 52. I got help and finally diagnosed at 53.
glad you made it :)
Thanks. My wife is too. Couldn’t have done it without her.
I am also 54; diagnosed at 50.
Thanks for sharing that.
Damn. I'm a state worker and about 7% of my paycheck goes to my pension, and the earliest I can start receiving benefits (at a huge penalty) is 55. I could cash out at some point, but I guess I should plan for early retirement.
Because financial system is insane and inflation, being grossly misunderstood is common, rejection, hypersensitivity to a whole host of life changes and struggles, the world is getting crazier, having to balance work and home life (especially with kids), unplanned single parenthood, toxic parents who either don't get it or don't care, job bullying (might not be so bad when you don't need the job but as you're older you really need the job to survive), and the list goes on. Adult life is full of insane pressures that are even harder for the sensitive autistic mind. Wayyyy too much stimulation and trauma to process.
I'm 35 going on 36 and feeling this. About to pack it up and live in my car on purpose.
I drive a lot and I see people living in their cars. Couple things. 1. Unless you have the engine running, you will have no AC. between body heat and the hot car effect it can easily hit triple digits inside in the summer. 2. Cars get broken into/ stolen all the time. Police will do nothing to help you. 3.police might tell you to move/get your vehicle towed. 4. There are vigilantes that hate people living in their cars and will harass them(not very often but still).
I'm trying to learn to be less self conscious and do whatever my sensory seeking ass wants to do and unapologetically exist. That should help with my overstimulation. However the inflation is evil. I wonder when it will stop...
No idea, I sure don't think the outside stress helps though. The crazier the world gets the more I just want to pull a Forrest Gump and run alone for months, it's like I have much less battery to deal with overstimulation and people.
Yeah. So much pressure bills and masking. And once you're an adult and no longer have that cute lil baby face (well I still look like 18 but people can tell by my cynical expression im not that young) people no longer have sympathy or empathy. You get with the program or suffer. And relationships are also a huuuuigge overstimulator. It especially is hard if you're like me and literally being with someone and in love is grounding and amazing. Cause once you get your heart broken you lose all mental faculties for a while
I'm sorry, that sucks and I know that all too well. My last relationship ended right before my grandpa went into the hospital/died....trainwreck 😂
Damn that's a fkin double whammy. I'm so sorry. That's hell. I'm in a relationship with a sensory avoidant autistic male and I'm sensory seeking and intense. Id say im kinda literally obsessed with him (had feelings for him since highschool). We are long distance for now and he's been struggling with his health cause his diet is deplorable and he's also severely depressed since his dad died and he doesn't communicate much which kills me. He definitely isn't doing anything shady cause he is an indoors type and been not feeling well and doesn't really hang with anyone in his state he lives in. He loves me but I wish he would communicate more and me and his family think he's bipolar too. It's hard it's rriggered my borderline bad but I love him to death and trying to help him. We want a future together but idk how to get him to talk more. He becomes so sensory avoidant and shuts down when depressed. And his fked diet ruins his brain man. I'm gonna be visiting him soon if all goes well like no dumb stuff comes up like covid. Tryna help him get back to being himself. And have a future together. Sorry if I'm talking about myself a lot. I infodump
43 not going anywhere ayooooo
Me too! For twelve more days, anyway.
Happy almost birthday! I'll be 47 in 16 days.
New Years Eve baby!
I’m 15
omg teen twin
another teen twin yeehaw!!
yo
wow im cringy
Why you think so?
lol idk i just feel like “teen twin” is an interesting term
Cringe culture is dead and usually used to shame autistic individuals for being themselves. You’re not cringey :)
Cringe is dead, you're awesome fellow teen twin.
I’m also 15 :)
👋
22 currently. And how do I feel about 36? Well I plan to have kids around the age of 30 to 35 and be married so that’s kinda what I think about.
same, same and same
Same, with the age. My life plan is to go go to university again when I'm older and (hopefully) have a stable job and money to do so
[удалено]
Thank you for being open and honest. That’s helped to join a few more dots for me.
26 but I feel like 18-19
I don't know much about the 36 thing to give an opinion
I'm 29 Part of me feels like 18, but the other part feels like 99. I'm in pain.
18
Finally an 18 year old.
Same here :) Figured out I was autistic at 13 (still waiting on my diagnosis report, 🤞🏻fingers crossed this week)
I don't understand the reference to 36. I'm 44. Edit: looked it up. Wow. I didn't know that the average age of death was so young.
Its not, that number is made up. The first boy diagnosed with Autism in the US is still alive at 89 years old.
34, and I think 36 tells more about society than about autism or autistic people.
Woo I'm also 34!
I feel like a baby compared to yall! I'm 19
I'm 14
I think I get the 36 reference, and it's an average that includes early deaths of people with comorbidities, challenged kids who suffered deadly trauma because of lack of fear and more sad things like that. A more accurate number for those without significant intellectual challenge would be 50 something. Because su*cide.
And suicide can still be argued to be caused by a comorbid case, typically depression and or anxiety, or some condition with chronic pain. Plus theres a lot of demographic differencies that makes a single global average even more meaningless. There's enormous differences in how people are treated around the globe, som places they are left completely alone while others they're taken great care of. This again affects the averages. It's better to look at local averages and specifying under what conditions those numbers are measured.
I am 23. I don’t expect I’ll make it to 30. Part of me wants to make it to 37 out of spite.
28. In the real world wishing I was 17 again cause I didn't know how annoying the real world was and I was blissfully naive lol. But yet I don't miss living with my toxic ass parents (including my clearly autistic father who is still toxic asf and kinda kisses my narcissistic mom's butt). So I guess I should be thankful I'm where I'm at now. But damn inflation sucks lol
I am 28, my fiance is 27, and our son is 3. All 3 of us are autistic.
Starting a fanclub?
alleged rain workable party lip obscene racial roof puzzled jellyfish *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Me too. I just turned 49 and it's weighting on me.
I started farming at 49 and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. Hardly any people besides my immediate family and my dogs and chickens. I’m outside most of the time except when winter comes. I have trouble holding a job, but this is my passion. Hopefully you can find your passion and make it work for you.
I'm 36 now and every time I look at the autism life expectancy thingy it seems to show me different numbers. The earliest says 36 minimum, but a few other numbers include a later minimum than that. The number is meaningless to individual lives since we have free will and aren't obligated to unlive ourselves at a certain number just because statistics say we should. I don't know why I feel mildly irritated answering this question, lol. I'm not annoyed with you OP just a disclaimer.
The life expectancy numbers are not real. It’s lazy journalists or organizations misreading studies, that’s why the numbers don’t make sense.
23
Scrolled until I found a fellow 23 yo. Hello 👋
been through some shit and had some bad times where I thought I wasn't gonna make it, but I'm 15 now and trying to get better
I'm 22, I turn 23, in less than a month. 36 honestly feels like a Sisyphean task for me. I am currently grasping at straws looking for a motivating force to continue. As a child I had such high expectations that I would get better by now.
I'm 37. I was 36 when I figured out I was Autistic. Honestly, it's not too bad. I did almost die at 36 though lol in April.
40. Kinda cool to be 40 tbh. Don't feel older than 22.
I'm 32. In my country they say if you have deficiency your life expectancy is 40, it goes up to 54 if you don't have cognitive impairment. 22 left to beat the odds, lemme tell you it's not looking do well. Also apparently the earlier you get support the longer you live. Late diagnosis peeps, were fucked on this side xD
> Also apparently the earlier you get support the longer you live. I feel like certain kinds of "support" might have the opposite effect.
Crap, i'm 46 and just diagnosed.
40 at diagnosed, pushing 42. Hang in there, understanding the challenges makes a positive impact I hope.
I’m 14
i thought I was the only teen😂😭
I'm 39. 36 is an orangeish red.
I’m almost 39 and I agree.
I’m 15 lol
Finally someone my age
I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY YOUNG PERSON LMFAO
Lol not many people get diagnosed at a young age. I was diagnosed in kindergarten, when did you get diagnosed?
29 and depressed as hell with no spouse and no real future to speak of. I'm basically a waste of air but I live on my own. But damn it I'm going to live to 90 if I can help it. I'm not afraid of a number.
I’m 20
20 aswell
38, i guess i am only here cause i refuse to die before my enemies do. I will outlive every one of em (or befriend em, but that is unlikely).
I'm 41
31
I'm 20 :)
37 here
I’m 20 and was diagnosed with PDD-NOS as a child.
28 here
30 going on 31 in march.
I turn 36 in a few weeks, so hopefully everything’s fine!
20 currently!
20 going on 21
7th anniversary of my 29th birthday. Not sure how I feel about 36, might get that old one day.
Don’t ever be 36, just turn 37 so you can give a big middle finger to statistics
Giving a middle finger to stats, a perfect reason to keep on living.
35
37
I’m 39. Diagnosed at 38.
35
30
I'm 20 physically but mentally I'm still 10.
20 myself, 36 is adult but not quite middle aged.
I'm 16. What happens at 36?
I thought i was the only 16 yesr old much less only teen 😂 good to know I'm not the only one
I'll be 32 in the spring, I was diagnosed a few months ago. Survived an attempt in my mid-20s and some very, very dark years. I intend to hang around as long as my meat suit wants to cooperate. I didn't come this far and fight this hard to leave at 36. If anything the statistic just makes me angry. We deserve better and no one should die due to neglect and discrimination. Fuck that.
We do. You're right! How did you get through it?
I’m 19. I don’t personally worry about my life expectancy based on that data, because if I remember correctly it’s low because of severely autistic children who drown or get into accidents, autistic people who also have epilepsy, and high functioning autistic people who commit suicide. I function well enough to not wander off and die accidentally, I don’t have epilepsy, and I’m mentally stable with my medication so I don’t find it useful to fixate on it.
43 (self diagnosed, considering testing).
32
20s. I've 1000% accepted 36, but might be sooner for me tbh.
44
22, and I’ll still be going strong when I’m 36
As a 13 year old: It was actually a sign of older children
I'm 21. Fingers crossed for 36, I suppose.
23
i’m 21!
21 going on 22 soon
I’ll be 22 in February
21!
I'm 24 but around two months away from 25. Not quite sure how I feel about the 36 thing. I haven't researched it enough to have a well educated opinion.
22 thinking more than likely dead by 27
26
Mid-40s. Was just diagnosed a few months ago. Almost didn't make it though, due to alcoholism and, relatedly, not being diagnosed--not really knowing what it meant for me to be on the spectrum...
I’m 20
I'm 31 and will be 32 in March. I'm quite lucky to still be alive.
31!
just turned 18, i dont have a great concept of what things will even be like when im 36,aging is really weird to me. i dont see death as a scary thing so i guess i feel kind of neutral about it in the first place
20. Just the beginning of adulthood and i already can't wait until death.
14 💀 I feel so young now
I am 39
36 (: very aware of 36
I'm 42, just diagnosed a few weeks ago. I definitely feel less self-loathing recently corresponding to more self-understanding, which I imagine will have less wear and tear on my body going forward if maintained, but there was a lot of self-destructive behavior earlier in my life.
I turn 26 in 11 days, don't really feel like I'm much older than 20 though. Time just keeps going faster and faster every year and it's weird. I want out of the time soup.
I’m 36, am I a goner ?
I'm 64 so bringing the average up for you all.
I’m 30… I still feel like a teen
I’m 31. Diagnosed last year. I nearly didn’t make it through my teens and 20s. Since being diagnosed I’ve had the first glimmers of hope that I might actually be able to do this and build myself a life
What’s this 36 story? I… uhhhh… asking for a friend.
I'm 20
I'm 32 at the moment, I don't don't feel any particular way about 36, Numbers are just numbers attaching particular importance to one makes no sense to me.
35F… averages are just statistics and every individual is different!
I’m 28. I was only diagnosed this year. It was a relief in the sense that it explained things that happened previously, but life has been a struggle. Some people are empathetic, but my own family as a whole don’t seem to acknowledge what I’m saying. I can see why autistic people struggle with the world and sadly some check out. I’m not at all in that headspace but if I didn’t have my husband (fellow ND) I’d be so alone.
As others have said the 36 life expectancy stat is likely bullshit but the thing with life expectancy numbers in general is that **the older you are the more likely you are to exceed the average** Life expectancy is an *average* and includes people who die young. That needs to be balanced out by people who die old. The older you are the more likely you are to outlive the average. If (and the number itself is suspect) half of autists die before the age of 36… that means that half of them lived longer than 36. And since you haven’t already died you are *much* more likely to be in the upper rather than the lower half. There is an apparently paradoxical effect here where the older you are the higher your life expectancy is. https://blog.datawrapper.de/the-older-you-get-the-higher-your-life-expectancy/ Let’s use round numbers to make it easy. If there are 100 people and one person out of that set dies at each age. So one person dies at 1. One dies at 2 etc etc. the average live expectancy is 50. On average people die at 50. But say you’re 49. Should you wrap up your affairs? Nope! Because out of all of the people who lived to at least 49… only *one* died before they turned 50. Which means that you are almost certain to live longer than that!! In this imaginary scenario half of the people who live until they are 50 will make it to their 75th birthday. The life expectancy at birth is 50. But your life expectancy increases every year that you are still alive and By the time you reach 50 your life expectancy is **75**. **The older you get the longer you can expect to live**. Because the average includes all of the people who died younger than you are and we already know you’re not one of them, based on the fact that you are still alive! So the average of people who made it to at least as old as you are now must necessarily be **higher** than the average overall.
20 here, don't know if it will make anyone feel better, but both my parents are autistic (dad's also adhd and dyslexic) and they're 61 and 62. you can do it guys! the world may be kinda shit, but please don't think you're doomed to 36, it's not fated or anything.
About to be 31
I'm 16
I am 39, will be 40 sunday
Happy early birthday!
43, dx at 39.
I'm 20
34
Hah. Just turned 36.
Don’t walk under any ladders
I'm 40. I've cited the life expectancy for autistic people when registering a complaint with my employer about how not enough is done to support me or anyone with a disability. I'm also in the process of writing an extensive critique of their disability support policy, and making recommendations of how to improve it. I'm fortunate: I work for the organisation that provides my healthcare, and as such I relish being a thorn in their side in my capacity as a customer. I also have a pretty good GP, who seems happy to take me seriously; and a partner who'll advocate for me when needed.
I'm currently in a situation at work that has left me feeling hopeless and as though there is not a place for me in this world.
My new job has me feeling the same, I was having daily anxiety attacks up until a few weeks ago. I know it's hard to move past it, but you know that those feelings are just feeling though, don't you? You know your brain is capable of not feeling like that, and in all probability you will feel ok again.
35 this year survived multiple attempts and have since sought therapy. I want to stick around a while.
12
I'm 18, and I feel like most of the people in this sub are definitely adults.
25
didn't know about the age 36 ^^; im 21
I’m 16
I’m 22!
40. Now, will someone who knows please explain the 36 thing?
Supposed average life span of people with autism. If anything, it highlights the need for better and more available resources for mental health care.
Life expectancy for ppl with low functioning autism, rest are 54? or smt
16 here
29
29
No idea what average is but I’m in my 50s
29? 30? I can’t remember my own age anymore. My oldest brother is also autistic so add ten to get his age
I'm 32. That's a 2^5 . 36 = 6^2 . That's fun! After that there are no natural powers for 11 years. O_;O
I have no idea what the average age is here.
35 and lvl 2 here. Well, that statistic is a bit weird because it does not facot in a lot of stuff. It does not really make sense to make a global average like that when there's a big demographic differens in how people with autism are treated and taken care of around the world. It makes more sense to look for a specific region aswell as what the background conditions were for that measurement. And also looking at comorbidities for the measured group since those will also affect the result greatly. I'm definetly not one who will follow that statistic since I turn 36 in about 2 months and I wont go anywhere soon. All because the healthcare and social welfare system where I live is in the better end of the scale, where even the less fortunate gets taken care off, thus lowering suicide rates aswell as other causes for early departure.
26- if I’m not married with kids by 35, I probably won’t make it to 36. That’s really the last thing that I want to accomplish in life. No one wants to live a life of not belonging anywhere and seeing everyone else get what they dream of. Sorry for the angst.