Autism Spectrum Disorders in Adulthood-Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment

The negative effect of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) persists into adulthood, with impacts on social interactions and occupational development. This article reviews the current status of clinical aspects of ASD in adulthood on the basis of ICD-11.

A selective search of PubMed and other relevant publications on ASD focused on changes in ICD-11 and on prevalence, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.

The global lifetime prevalence of ASD is around 1%. A number of recent studies have concentrated on behaviors termed "camouflaging" (disguising symptoms typical of autism) and "stimming" (use of repetitive self-stimulation), which affect the mental health of those concerned. Standardized diagnostic instruments are available, but the data on validity in adulthood and on applicability are limited. Gestures, eye contact, facial expressions, social closeness, and reciprocity play particularly important roles in diagnosis. German-language treatment manuals lack randomized controlled studies: a validated treatment strategy is currently available only in English. Investigation of the prognosis showed limitation of occupational perspectives (54% unemployment in the study sample) and 2.9 times higher mortality compared to the general population.

Individual treatment goals should be set, taking account of any coexisting psychiatric disorders. The process of diagnosis remains clinical, using standardized instruments. Further improvement of diagnostic and therapeutic instruments for adult ASD is desirable.