For example, one study suggested that older people with Autism and average or above IQ have a similar pattern of memory strengths and weaknesses to that found in younger adults with Autism and average IQ and concluded that in some cases weaknesses may improve with age relative to TD adults (Lever et al. 2016 Geurts and Vissers 2012 Lever and Geurts 2016). Several studies examined memory abilities in older adults with Autism but findings were not consistent (Davids et al. There has been a lack of research in psychosocial and cognitive outcomes in adults aged over 50 with Autism and thus there is an urgent need to address this gap in the literature so as to understand the unique needs of older adults with Autism and also how best to support them. This is perhaps because it has been difficult to recruit older adults with a confirmed diagnosis of Autism since Autism was only included in the psychiatric classification system about three decades ago (van Niekerk et al. Research in older adults with Autism is very scarce compared to research in children and adolescents with Autism. 2012) and working memory (Barendse et al. 2008 Mayes and Calhoun 2008 Oliveras-Rentas et al. For example, verbal IQ is, on average, similar to TD adults, but processing speed (Geurts et al. Work in younger adults with Autism has indicated that they differ in specific aspects of intellectual functioning from TD adults even when their overall intellectual functioning is in the average range. Work in younger adults with Autism is informative, but cannot be directly transferred, given the potential change in cognition as individuals age (Lever and Geurts 2016). For example, the most common form of dementia, AlzheimerвЂ™s disease, starts with initial episodic (particularly delayed memory) impairment (Salmon and Bondi 2009). Understanding differences between people with an Autism diagnosis and TD adults as they age is of clinical importance as significant decline in specific areas of cognitive functioning can be a prodromal indication of dementia (Albert et al. 2011) and it remains unclear whether or how having Autism affects degree or type of cognitive change in ageing (Lever and Geurts 2016). However, Autism is a lifelong condition (Brugha et al.

2006 Hill 2004 Pellicano 2010 Pennington and Ozonoff 1996 Sachse et al. 2009 Geurts and Vissers 2012 Happe et al. There are a number of studies pointing to differences in executive function and episodic memory between children and young adults with Autism and their TD peers (Barendse et al. Ageing in typically developed (TD) adults is associated with decline in cognition, with specific subtypes of memory (McDaniel and Einstein 2011) and specific aspects of overall cognitive functioning, such as processing speed, affected (Grady 2012).

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