Do you look your age?

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It sounds to me like Asperger's doesn't affect puberty or one's hair. I think it's more hereditary. I hit puberty roughly on time but I can hardly grow facial hair, some of you hit it early or late, some of you have beards.

No, I think it IS the facial structure! Magnus, you look like a Brazilian version of me, and I'm mostly of German/Irish/English/Slovenian descent. Pouty lips, long face, a little extra cheek fat, pointed chin, soft eyes. Traits usually found in younger people.

If people tell you that you look older, I think it could be any combination of reasons:
-Genetics still play a part in facial structure; I doubt we all have the same nose
-You dress like an old man
-You appear more mature to people in public, even if you love cartoons and cry when you're frustrated
-Glasses can make you look older
-You have a beard
-You went through puberty early
-Your facial expression is generally blank; you don't smile much. When I smile it's often an innocent looking smile.
-Some people simply look older or younger and it's not always a result of a disorder.

In conclusion, I think there are MANY variables that can affect how young or old a person looks, but I DO think we're predisposed to have a certain facial structure, which to the human eye can appear younger. It's consistent with the few kids at school who I knew to have Asperger's.

If anyone else would like to confirm that they have a similar facial structure, or better yet, provide an exception, please do.

I just took this on my laptop's webcam to be sure it was current. I'm 30 years old. I have no idea how young or old this looks (and would not be offended by any assessment on the matter, unlike a lot of nonautistic women). It didn't end up showing the whole of my chin, so I should note I have a double chin and it has obvious but scraggly facial hair. (I'm female. And fat. But had somewhat of a double chin even when thin due to a small, receded jaw.) Normally I wear glasses but I couldn't get a picture where you could see my eyes through them so I took them off.



I've seen a really large number (hundreds) of autistic people, and we have quite a large amount of variation in how our faces look, so even if my face does follow some trend (and I don't fully understand what that trend is), I can assure you there are tons of people who look completely different. Here's a link to a place with tons and tons of photos (about 240 of them):

http://www.planetautism.com/AuSpin/a2p2.htm

Although for some reason those photos are almost entirely of white people, which skews things a lot from what people actually look like overall.

Oh and, I don't know if it's important to you or not, but since I keep hearing references to "AS" throughout the thread, I should mention I'm diagnosed with autism instead. (I don't think there's any sort of clear line between the two, but I do often see threads on here that use "AS" as the universal, and it's not.)

It looks like the facial deformity ranges from none at all to severe, but there are no obvious commonalities between them. I'd still like to further explore the possibility that AS has a specific set of facial characteristics, but it very well may just be the "wide-eyed and innocent" expression many of us often share that makes us look younger to some. I've also had people guess my age correctly, and it might correlate to how I felt when I was interacting with that person. When humans feel inferior to someone they use different voice tonality than when they feel as though they're better than someone, and until I heard about this and corrected my behavior, I was kind of sort of speaking with the tone of a child, often.

I don't see any more physical resemblance between people on the spectrum than I would comparing the faces of any 2 random people. If I study my own face, I see features that are common in my ethnicity. I've only seen one ASD person who I felt I resembled (in fact, we call each other "twin"), and it just so happens she is the same race (though different branches).

I think "the look" has a lot more to do with expressions and body language. If people think I'm younger, it may be because I do feel younger than most other people, regardless of what our actual ages are, so you may have something there.

Oh also, up until I was 24 and moved into an apartment that doesn't get door-to-door salespeople, I would open up the door and immediately get the response, "Is your mommy or daddy home?" I hadn't spoken (and can't speak communicatively), so it couldn't have been tone of voice. I still assume it's something about my default (rather slack) facial expression, but I don't know what exactly it is.

Oh and when I was 25, I was with a 50-year-old autistic woman and someone scornfully looked her up and down and said "What are you, 25?" We both found that rather hilarious.

An example of the opposite: My father, who is also autistic, has looked older than his age for a long time. People always assumed that my brother (also autistic, and 14 years older than me) was my father and that my father was my grandfather. (I'm not sure if the brother as father thing was about him looking older, me looking younger, or both. But I've been told by a former neighbor growing up that I always looked young for my age.)

I do have a bunch of documented minor facial deformities, but they aren't necessarily related to autism any more than a lot of my other physical conditions are, and I doubt they make me look younger.

I'm 26, but am constantly mistaken for around half my age (13-14). My little brother just turned 14 and people often think he is older than I am. Of course, that's not helped by the fact that I'm barely 5'1 and he's going on 5'10.

He says no one can guess anywhere near my actual age until I start talking, and then I just confuse people.

Add me to the list. I used to hate it when I was younger ... when I was in college, I remember a couple of hottish college girls walking up to my table in a dining hall (I was eating alone, of course) and asking if I was one those "whiz kids." Ugh. Anyway, I dig it now ... people are usually floored when they learn I'm 41. Of course, my wife and kids keep me in check by constantly reminding me how old I really am.

I look far younger than I am, which is good I guess except for idiot cops and liquor store vendors who accuse me of being some stupid underage teen. Got pulled over for this once when I was 22 or 23.

When I was younger, people always mistook me as older because I was so quiet and serious.

Now that I'm older, people constantly mistake me for someone who's younger.
The other day I was told I look like I'm in my early 30's; they were shocked to find that I'll be 43 on my next birthday.

_________________
Diagnosed with High Functioning Autism well into adulthood.
It's never too late to get a diagnosis.
Hell, I thought I was just weird.

i can (obviously) come off as really abrupt and my tone can sound sharpish, so feel free to ask me to clarify

I get told alot people can't believe I'm 21. They say I look 17/18

People think that I look like I'm 22 and I'm 36.

When I was younger, people mistook me for much younger. When I was 20, I got stopped by a police officer around midday and asked what middle school I attended. :-\

I am 30 but if I am clean shaven and have had a haircut recently, I am told that I look much younger.

I am 36 and ever since my late teens I have always been told I look younger. In general, judging by the comments I think I look about 10 years younger than I am, but the other day someone told me I looked 24. This is despite the fact that I am usually a very serious person and my default expression seems to be a frown, or like Im deep in thought \ concerntrating. I also wear glasses. Glasses may make you look smarter but I dont know about older.

I have no idea what my facial structure is like, my mother once commented that I had a long neck though, I think I may have a long face also. I dont think I will ever start looking my age. When I was younger it bothered me but now I dont really care one way or the other.

Nope, I don't believe so, but I am 15 so there is quit awhile for that to change. Though, I do think I look a little childish. It's kind of funny, I really think that I look a bit younger compared to most American people, I have met a European person who said I look at least in my 20s. If I am thinking correctly then, I think I actually developed into my predominant look a lot later than most people.