Jade Davies, Rose Matthews, Anna Melissa Romualdez, Elizabeth Pellicano, and Anna Remington(2024).
https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2023.0155
This study looked at how autistic people feel about retiring from work, it is not a topic that there has been much research on yet.
The researchers talked with 12 autistic adults. Some had already retired and some were getting ready to retire soon.
For some, retirement was hard. It was difficult to plan for. It was strange to lose the daily routine of work.
For others, retirement is a relief. Workplaces had often been stressful or tiring. Stopping work gave them freedom.
Having more free time was not always easy. Some people enjoyed hobbies and rest. Others found they still had responsibilities, or could not use their time the way they wanted.
A big problem was the lack of support. Services did not understand or meet autistic people’s needs when they retired.
Many were worried about the future. They were concerned about their health. They did not know if care homes would be good places for autistic people.
What is needed:
- Better support when autistic people retire.
- More research about care homes and whether they work for autistic people.
- New ideas for autistic-led housing and group living.
Retirement can be freeing, or it can be very hard. But support is often missing, and more needs to be done to make later life better for autistic people.