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Outcomes for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability

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Book cover Autism Spectrum Disorders in Adults

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability commonly occur together. As the diagnostic criteria for ASD have widened, the proportion of people with ‘high-functioning’ ASD has increased, and current estimates of the prevalence of intellectual disability among those with ASD are much lower than they were in the past. On the other hand, improvements in recognition and assessment have led to an increase in the proportion of people with intellectual disability who have a diagnosis of ASD. It is now thought that individuals with ‘low-functioning’ ASD (i.e. adults with ASD and intellectual disability) comprise around 50 % of the ASD population. This chapter is about adults with ASD and intellectual disability. The focus is on social functioning outcomes rather than health or psychopathological issues which are covered by other chapters in this book. The chapter begins with an evaluation of the methods that have been used to measure outcomes in adults with ASD and intellectual disability. This is followed by a review of the evidence on outcomes for this group. Finally, we discuss the clinical and research implications of this evidence.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Longitudinal Research, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    Lisa Underwood

  2. Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London, London, UK

    Lisa Underwood & Jane McCarthy

  3. Mental Health and Learning Disabilities, School of Health and Social Care, London South Bank University, London, UK

    Eddie Chaplin

Authors
  1. Lisa Underwood
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  2. Jane McCarthy
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  3. Eddie Chaplin
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lisa Underwood .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, NOVA Medical School, Lisbon, Portugal

    Bernardo Barahona Corrêa

  2. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Medical Centre Nijmegen St. Radboud, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Rutger-Jan van der Gaag

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Underwood, L., McCarthy, J., Chaplin, E. (2017). Outcomes for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability. In: Barahona Corrêa, B., van der Gaag, RJ. (eds) Autism Spectrum Disorders in Adults. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42713-3_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42713-3_4

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-42711-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-42713-3

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