3.3 What factors influence outcomes?

IQ and language ability play a role in shaping adult outcomes. In general, those with a higher IQ and better language skills are likely to have more favourable outcomes in adulthood. But the pattern is very mixed: the quality of support available and the individual’s own resilience are likely to play a role in adult well-being, and as we shall see, what counts as a favourable outcome should be judged in relation to the individual, rather than to some absolute standard. A successful individual outcome doesn’t necessarily mean that the person has ‘outgrown’ their autism or that they are living independently, with a job and so on.