Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
Autism Res. 2021 Jul;14(7):1456-1471. doi: 10.1002/aur.2504. Epub 2021 Mar 25.
Much of past research has been dedicated to refining the operationalization and correlates of the broader autism phenotype (BAP) and less on how the BAP differs by socio-demographic characteristics, like age-particularly after midlife. This gap is important because other nonclinical trait-like characteristics (e.g., personality) have shown considerable age differences, leading to work assessing the malleability of psychological characteristics and improving outcomes for individuals and their significant others. In the current study, we examined cross-sectional age differences in the BAP in a large sample of adults ranging in age from 18 to 85. We recruited a sample of 2966 adults ranging in age from 18 to 85 (M = 36.53, SD = 12.61; 58.9% Female; 1.1% with an ASD diagnosis) recruited from an online survey service. We found that total BAP scores were higher in younger adults and lower among older adults. These differences were particularly true for pragmatic language difficulties, with this component of the BAP showing the most dramatic age differences. Aloofness showed similar negative associations with age, albeit much smaller. Rigidity was not significantly associated with age. The results are consistent with other research showing an abatement of symptoms among individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) across early life and theories predicting changes in other psychological characteristics (e.g., personality). The results are discussed in the context of the malleability of ASD and BAP traits across life, the clinical implications of these changes, and the origins and consequences for lifespan differences in BAP. LAY SUMMARY: Little is known about how subclinical autistic-like traits among middle-aged and older adults compare to younger adults. We found that these subclinical traits were highest in young adults and lowest in older adults. Knowing how these traits differ by age can provide researchers and clinicians with a sense of how much these traits might change across life, if the traits might be sensitive to interventions, and when in development it might be best to intervene.
过去的研究大多致力于完善广泛自闭症表型（BAP）的操作性定义和相关性，而较少关注 BAP 如何因社会人口统计学特征（如年龄）而有所不同，尤其是在中年以后。这一差距很重要，因为其他非临床特征（如个性）已经显示出相当大的年龄差异，这导致人们评估心理特征的可塑性，并改善个人及其重要他人的结果。在目前的研究中，我们在一个年龄在 18 至 85 岁的成年人的大样本中检查了 BAP 的横断面年龄差异。我们从一个在线调查服务中招募了 2966 名年龄在 18 至 85 岁之间的成年人（M = 36.53，SD = 12.61；58.9%为女性；1.1%被诊断为 ASD）。我们发现，年轻成年人的 BAP 总分较高，而年龄较大的成年人的 BAP 总分较低。这些差异在实用语言困难方面尤其明显，BAP 的这一组成部分显示出最显著的年龄差异。冷漠也与年龄呈负相关，但程度较小。僵化与年龄没有显著关联。这些结果与其他研究一致，这些研究表明自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）患者的症状在整个生命早期都会减轻，并且预测了其他心理特征（如个性）的变化。结果在生命过程中 ASD 和 BAP 特征的可塑，这些变化的临床意义，以及 BAP 寿命差异的起源和后果的背景下进行了讨论。
