This paper used Social Security Administration program data from 2005 to 2019 to examine national- and state-level changes in the number of new adult supplemental security income (SSI) awardees on the autism spectrum relative to awardees with intellectual disability and other mental health disorders. We identified three main findings: the number of autistic awards increased between 2005 and 2019 when awards for all other mental health disorders declined; roughly nine out of every 10 autistic adult awardees were between ages 18–25 years; there was variation in the growth of autistic awards across states. These findings support the need to consider geographic and age differences in SSI program participation among autistic adults and determine the underlying causes.

本文使用 2005 年至 2019 年的社会保障局项目数据，研究了自闭症谱系中新的成人补充保障收入 (SSI) 获奖者相对于智力残疾和其他精神健康障碍的获奖者数量的国家和州级变化。我们确定了三个主要发现： 2005 年至 2019 年间，自闭症奖项的数量有所增加，而所有其他精神疾病的奖项均有所下降；每 10 名自闭症成人获奖者中约有 9 名年龄在 18 至 25 岁之间；各州自闭症奖的增长存在差异。这些发现支持需要考虑自闭症成年人参与 SSI 计划的地理和年龄差异，并确定根本原因。