Understanding how age and gender influence academic, social and lifestyle barriers for autistic people

Purpose Autistic people experience academic, vocational, social, lifestyle and independence barriers. Understanding how these barriers differ across demographic groups is essential for designing targeted supports and interventions. This study aims to investigate the influence of age and gender on the types and frequency of barriers reported by autistic individuals. Design/methodology/approach Survey data were collected from 158 autistic participants, who reported on 40 barriers across three domains: academic and career challenges, social interactions and relationships and lifestyle and independence. A 2 × 5 independent measures factorial ANOVA was conducted to examine the effects of gender, age and their interaction on the number of barriers reported within each domain. Findings No significant differences were found in the number of barriers endorsed based on gender, age or their interaction for academic and career domain barriers. However, significant main effects of gender were identified for social and lifestyle barriers, with females reporting more barriers than males in both domains (social: p = 0.035; lifestyle: p = 0.002). Barrier frequencies by gender and age group were also identified and made available through an online tool. Originality/value This study highlights important gender and age differences in the types of barriers experienced by autistic individuals. The findings provide actionable insights that can inform the development of more tailored programs and supports to better address their diverse needs.