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Although research subjects have not traditionally included autistic adults, understanding current grief theory can be helpful to any professional working with any grieving individual. Perhaps most importantly, professionals should absolve themselves of the notion that grief occurs in stages. This theory was developed in the 1960s by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, a pioneer in the field of death and dying. She based her work exclusively on observations of people with terminal illness who were grieving the pending loss of their own lives. Stage theory has long been debunked as applicable to people who are dying and survivors who are grieving, but the notion persists among both professionals and laypeople. Stage theory can be unhelpful and even harmful to grievers, as they may conclude that they aren’t grieving “correctly” when their grief process does not follow a linear path—which, in fact, no one’s grief process does.

Significant contemporary grief theories are evidence-based and inform the support of those who are experiencing grief. While these theories are based on research conducted using neurotypical individuals, they illustrate some of the grief experiences and feelings of autistic adults, as well as issues that may complicate grief in persons on the autism spectrum.

Click the button below to learn about:
What is Grief?
Contemporary Grief Theories
Worden’s Tasks of Mourning Model
Task Theory and Autism
Dual Process Model
Conducting a Loss Inventory
Helpful Evidence-Based Terms

About the organization: The Autism and Grief Project website was created by the Hospice Foundation of America, the premier expert on grief and end-of-life care, in partnership with the NLM Family Foundation (Nancy Lurie Marks Foundation).