£219k funding awarded for innovative new research project in ADAPT Lab

ADAPT Lab have been awarded grant funding from Dunhill Medical Trust to investigate the needs and characteristics of autistic older adults, with a focus on use of longitudinal cohort and healthcare records data.

This exciting new project is called Understanding Developmental trajectories, and Inequalities in diagnosis and Treatment in adults aged 50 and over (AUDIT-50).

In the UK, there are about 240,000 adults over the age of 50 who have autism. These people often lead difficult lives, including living with mental and physical health problems. Currently, services are not well designed to support them. Improvements are held back by limited understanding of their circumstances and needs.

ADAPT Lab plan to undertake a ground-breaking new project which will last 3 years to fill important gaps in knowledge about autism in later life. We hope it will help improve care, increase professionals’ knowledge, and inspire more research.

Follow our progress with this project on Twitter @ADAPTlabUCL or on the ADAPT lab website.