Although it is widely accepted that the quality of life (QoL) of individuals with ASD is adversely affected in adulthood, particularly towards the later end of the life span, systematic research in this area is scarce. We know little about how to measure the QoL of individuals on the autism spectrum effectively nor about whether the conceptual framework of typical QoL translates easily to the context of ASD. There are also gaps in our knowledge about the wider pattern of factors that are associated with differences in QoL or whether or not there are any autism-specific associations with QoL. The papers in this panel tackle conceptual and practical issues relating to the measurement of QoL in later-life ASD as well as reporting whether factors, such as prospective memory, that are known affect QoL in the typical population operate similarly in ASD. The work reported here represents an important step forward in our understanding of autism in later life