Our life expantancy is 58 apparently.

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I plan to live to 100.

Sorry Bee33....
************. *******^ ********. ***********
But have been beating the odds for a unusually long period of time..perhaps just dumb luck...had preferred to die many times over many years..but out here on the " back 9" So to speak..the veiw of lifes landscape, has been able to show change for the better...still big bits of health issues , but am learning to master or to live around them....
And definitely lost concern for others opinions put upon me. (Within reasonable expectations.)
In my early days of life expectancy for Autism maxxed out at 21- 25 yrs old ...Other condition were right in the same age range ... But honestly did not want people to expect things from me , regarding my health. So as deficits came upon me. It was all about hacking my bodies health systems ,,and everytime I got something right, I just kept repeating , usually some overly researched supplement. like over 100 thus far,And inspite of thinking ,I was careful had my share of what might otherwise be considered life threatening accidents or conditions...None of which, I would have chose to live through But as the closer ,I get to my Sunset years...people offer more respect to grey haired people it seems. And somehow
I have gained experience that only a few get to or live through,not smarter just better odds,Not tooting my horn ..! but it has been a hec of a ride...! And I am not dead yet ..Gawd willing . And I will just go on trying to leverage my bodies physiology and specifically the nervous system. Almost full time job on some days it feels.

It’s 36 for profound autism and 58 for L1, although I suspect the original Asperger’s is a lot higher or not included in those figures.

Diet is probably the big one for those more severely impacted or level 3

Many only eat junk processed food, some say yellow food

Many also don’t look after themselves, ie exercise play sports, miss health body warnings

Those with severe autism usually have other comorbid conditions like epilepsy that just make things worse.

All this pushes the life expectancy to 36

My cousin had level 3 or severe / profound autism and was dead by early 40’s. so he exceeded expectations I guess.

I was stressed during my school and work years,
but my levels of stress dropped dramatically after I comfortably retired at age 56. ^{Enduring all that hard work and stress finally paid off!}
When I started walking every morning, weather-permitting.
And at age 64 I had heart surgery to correct a congenital problem with the aortic valve...
after which I felt a bit better and it became much less likely to have my aorta rupture.^{Which would be very inconvenient!}

Based upon my experience...my recommendation is endure and keep moving toward the goal.

It's 36 for Level 3. And why?
Someone already mentioned inability to take care of oneself and miss body warnings of disease.
It's also because Level 3 is usually accompanied by low IQ, which further limits ability to take care of one's body and appreciate healthy food vs. unhealthy food; weight gain; extreme sedentary lifestyle.

Their caretakers don't have the bandwidth to arrange for structured exercise, and feed them the cheapest, easiest-to-make ultra-processed foods. I recently saw an obviouls Level 3 teen boy whose body looked like a slimmer version of Homer Simpson's: zero muscle tone. You could tell he had an extremely sedentary life.

A sedentary lifestyle ranks very close to smoking and obesity as an agent that shortens lifespan.

Another reason Level 3'ers' average life is 36 is because in many cases, Level 3 is caused by a genetic disorder that impacts cognition and physical health. For example, in Phelan McDermid syndrome, there may be abnormalities with the heart and kidneys.

Some Level 3'ers have Down syndrome: again, heart issues possible.

So why is Level 1 at 58?

1) Pervasive unemployment = lack of screening health checks (i.e., blood pressure, mammogram, PAP smear, PSA test, colonoscopy). This means late-caught disease = poorer prognosis.

2) More likely to have unhealthy eating habits.

3) More likely to be morbidly obese.

4) More likely to have a sedentary lifestyle. This vexes me, because you don't need expensive equipment to get in good workouts. Plus, you can get a Planet Fitness gym membership for like $10/month. That's the price of a large soda and jumbo size of junky chips.

Even someone whose clumsy can still get in good strength and cardio workouts!! And if a gym environment is too much sensory overload even with earplugs and sunglasses, you can buy some good workout equipment from Amazon for under $50 (there's a ton of options such as a set of tension bands + a few pairs of dumbbells).

It's UP TO YOU whether or not you croak at 58. Even if you don't have health insurance, you can still lead a healthy lifestyle. Search Google for price comparisons of healthy vs. unhealthy food; you actually can get MORE healthy food for the same price.

If you're unemployed, you can get on Medicaid if you have a formal diagnosis of autism.

DON'T SMOKE. DON'T VAPE. Limit drinking. And if you're fat, lose weight. A fat body is NOT "perfect just the way it is."

It's not difficult to live a healthy lifestyle!!

Quite a lot easier said than done. Anyway what's the point of prolonging this wretched existence more than I've to?

I'm happy to dance the mortal coil shuffle whenever it's theme starts playing.
I don't want to reach my parents in law's age. They've both hit 90 after being healthy sportspeople into their late 70s. He's had prostate cancer for a decade and (supposedly) his organs started shutting down 2 years ago. She has dementia and is living groundhog day.
(Our pet theory after seeing him wandering the halls at night is.... He is only still alive because he's sticking a straw in his sleeping wife's ear and is sucking her brain)
They have us to look after them, but we have no kids to do the same for us.
I plan to be gone well before I reach that condition.

Longevity is overrated.

I'd heard it was 54 - which freaked me out a bit because of approaching that myself - and all the health difficulties I seem to be having.

So 58 seems like a marginal improvement!

I wonder if we might have greater risk of certain health issues due to autism? because I'm having health issues that my NT parents didn't have at this age. Still trying to find out if it's endocrine or auto-immune or what, but my gut is bad and my joints are bad and my energy levels are really low. It's getting to me a bit. Think I should give up working for the sake of my health but can't afford to.

Something I heard a few times if your in poor neurological/ mental health you tend to have been poorly built physically.

This probably makes sense as the body is interlinked. For example high blood sugar levels can lead to blindness or limb amputations totally different things.

It’s also true of genes, many gene faults have a wide range of effects in different areas of the body.

There’s obviously many autisms, many of these have an identifiable genetic cause, many of the autism genes are linked to ID or epilepsy.

It shows the absurdity in separating things into different labels when the truth is it’s all linked together.

Autism is NOT a risk factor for any cancers, any cardiovascular disease, any organ disease, diabetes, stroke, pneumonia or any other medical condition. Autism is an alternative way that the brain is wired.

Don't compare yourself to your parents. Instead, ask what you've been doing for years that may have contributed to worsening health, such as smoking, too much processed food and not enough vegetables, and lack of structured exercise.

However, there IS a correlation between gut issues and ASD, but this has not been linked to a shorter lifespan.

My comments EXCLUDE Level 3, which is often linked to genetic causes of autism that also come with medical issues.

Except...I think I've read that frequent prolonged stress and anxiety can be cumulatively bad for your health.

If so, mightn't Autism be indirectly bad for your health?

Many who struggle with stress and anxiety are NTs, so there must be some other elements causing a shorter lifespan in Level 1. Furthermore, in Level 3, they don't have the same kind of stress and anxiety that Level 1's (and even 2's) have. For instance, Level 3'ers, especially with ID, wouldn't have the stress of getting or keeping a job; trying to be independent; and especially the stress/anxiety of navigating social environments, making friends and keeping friends, and the burnout of masking. Yet THEIR life expectancy is only 36.

So it seems, just based on these facts and observations, that stress and anxiety wouldn't be indirectly causing premature death in HFA OR LFA.

Yes, stress is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but this risk factor also applies to NTs as well.

I've attended many events where autistic people (all levels) show up. I have never seen a fit-looking person with severe/profound autism. I rarely see fit-looking HFA's.

Obesity is rampant among Level 3'ers, and many HFA's are obese. If they're not obese, they STILL look very out of shape (lack of muscle tone). They simply do not work out.

There is nothing medically stopping an HFA from working out. And remember, a membership at Planet Fitness is $10/month. For those who can't tolerate the gym atmosphere, a month's worth of processed junk food can MORE than pay for an adequate amount of workout implements.

Furthermore, thrift shops sell dumbbells and kettlebells at very cheap prices.

It costs nothing to run or hike.

It costs a LOT to maintain a smoking habit!! !! !

And for what it's worth, the 2021 and 2022 world champion Strongman is autistic.

Before anyone shoots back with, "Some autistic people have naturally low muscle tone or struggle with coordination," these two factors would not prevent someone from working out.

There are people with Down's, cerebral palsy, stroke and amputeeism who lift weights!!

And as mentioned, unemployment, which = no health insurance (though Medicaid is an option) also contributes to premature death. So does fear of being examined (when disease can be diagnosed).

Re Level 1 & 2: Yes, stress and anxiety can affect anyone. I think my question would be whether overall, statistically, Autistics, on average, over a lifetime, have more hours of stress than a typical NT.

For instance, in school it certainly appeared to me that I got more attention from bullies than my average classmates did. Work conditions NTs find acceptable might seem much less acceptable to an Autistic in the same situation. Etc.

Re Level 3: I don't know much about institutional conditions but the hints from movies suggest to me that some institutionalized Level 3s might have living conditions that would be very unpleasant to them. Bright lights. Noise. Lack of alone-time. Lack of personal-choice. I'm just basing this on the hints movies give, however.

Movies, especially of yesteryear, tend to exaggerate or stereotype. Nowadays, at least in the U.S., many Level 3's (probably nearly all of them) are living in host homes. They get their own room, and it's an actual house they live in. For the most part, these ships are run tightly. The host provider gets a monthly visit from someone above them in the chain to make sure everything is running smoothly. Some of these homes have dogs and cats, which we all know lower blood pressure and provide calm. Sure, there are host providers who are abusive, but they are uncommon.

There are very detailed protocols that providers as well as other types of caretakers of L3's must abide by, and this is after being trained in these protocols. L3's have very little, if any, responsibility. Their amount of stress may be comparable to the stress experienced by a typical NT preschooler (e.g., they stress out if they can't have more ice cream).

All the evidence is there that HFA's have much more stress and anxiety when compared to LFAs. We don't get sympathy because we're not "disabled enough," if that makes sense.

The lower life expectancy is multi-factorial, but there is nothing inherent in autism, in and of itself, that shortens the shelf life of one's heart, kidneys, lungs, blood vessels, immune system, etc.

I've been working out since high school, and I'm more physically fit than any average woman half my age!

The Level 3 living conditions you describe leave ample room for discomfort. Having a private bedroom is certainly something I would absolutely, absolutely want but...what about ambient noise? TV privileges and control? Food choice? Freedom of choices for how they spend their time and who with? Clothing choices?

Heck, even the bedroom decor could be an issue. When I was in grade school my parents asked me about what colors I wanted for my bedroom. I chose cadet blue walls (about like this: \o/\o/), dark/medium blue carpet, black curtains, black bedspread, and black furniture. I had a radio and I had it set to the local news channel. Oh, I also wanted a black towel.

My parents didn't understand why I would want to live like that but they gave it to me. Additionally the black curtains they got were light-blocking and the black towel came with a black hand towel.

I did not like blue jeans so they didn't get me blue jeans. The neckline in a T-shirt bothered me so they got me V-necks which I thought were more comfortable (and, yes, tags were an issue, too).

And I liked books, especially science fiction, so I had a three-shelf bookshelf with a lot of science fiction.

In other words, a lot of my environment was tailored for my comfort. And it helped!