Introduction: Why Autistic Ageing Matters
In Episode 33 of the The William Gomes Podcast, William Gomes examines what it means to grow older as an autistic person. Autistic ageing remains under-researched and frequently misunderstood. This episode addresses that gap by exploring how autism presents and evolves across adulthood, and why recognition, respect, and appropriate support are essential at every stage of life.
What Is Autistic Ageing?
Autistic ageing refers to the cumulative, lifelong interaction between autism, environment, health systems, and social expectations. William frames ageing not as a decline, but as a process shaped by decades of adaptation, masking, and unmet needs. The episode challenges deficit-based narratives and centres lived experience.
Sensory Changes Across the Lifespan
How sensory processing can evolve
William discusses how sensory sensitivities may intensify, fluctuate, or change with age. Sounds, light, textures, and environments that were once manageable can become overwhelming later in life, particularly when compounded by fatigue, illness, or stress.
Key takeaway: Sensory needs do not disappear with age; they often require renewed understanding and accommodation.
Executive Function and Cognitive Load
Ageing, burnout, and mental energy
Executive functioning—planning, organising, switching tasks—can become more demanding over time. The episode highlights how lifelong masking and constant self-monitoring increase cognitive load, contributing to autistic burnout in adulthood and later life.
So what? Support strategies must account for reduced capacity, not assume “learned coping” equals resilience.
Social Transitions and Identity
Masking, authenticity, and late discovery
William explores major life transitions—work, relationships, parenthood, retirement—and their impact on autistic adults. For many, later life brings late diagnosis or self-recognition, prompting reassessment of identity after years of masking.
Core insight: Masking may enable short-term functioning but carries long-term psychological cost.
Healthcare Challenges for Ageing Autistic People
Gaps in understanding and access
The episode addresses systemic barriers within healthcare. Autistic adults are frequently misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or unsupported, particularly as services are often designed around neurotypical ageing.
Practical implication: Clinicians must adopt autism-informed, trauma-aware approaches across adult and older-age services.
The Lifelong Impact of Masking
Compliance is not wellbeing
A central theme is the distinction between outward coping and internal harm. William explains how decades of masking can lead to exhaustion, anxiety, and loss of self, particularly in later life when energy reserves diminish.
Key message: Apparent calm or compliance should never be mistaken for wellbeing.
A Call for Respect, Recognition, and Support
This episode is a measured but clear call to action: autistic ageing deserves serious attention in policy, research, healthcare, and community support. Ageing autistic people require environments that prioritise safety, predictability, and dignity—not assumptions based on surface-level functioning.
Listen to Episode 33
🎧 YouTube: https://youtu.be/QYscPfW5ndc
🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2uvjfMfWv6JvfhO9z19jhL
Final Reflection
Episode 33 of The William Gomes Podcast offers a thoughtful, accessible exploration of autistic ageing. It reframes ageing as a continuation of lived experience rather than a separate stage, and makes clear that meaningful support must be lifelong, responsive, and grounded in understanding rather than compliance.
If you are autistic, support an autistic person, or work in health, education, or social care, this episode provides essential insight into a stage of life that can no longer be overlooked.
