late onset autism?

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I believe I've been autistic all my life, but only started realizing it two years ago. I just assumed I was a quirky loner. I've heard of late onset schizophrenia, like mid twenties, do you think the same thing can happen with autism? It always being there but not on the surface, surfacing later in life because certain things set it off?

By its very definition, autism is a disorder with a very early onset, most likely by the second year of life. Certainly by preschool age.

If one does not exhibit autistic-type symptoms in elementary school, but starts exhibiting them in adolescence, it is probably not autism, per se. Other disorders can mimic autism in its symptoms, though.

I've only realised very recently that in the decades before my diagnosis, there were signs of autism that I accepted because I had explained them some other way. For example, I assumed for most of that time that my sensory sensitivities and partial shut-downs were just because of sleep deprivation from my insomnia.

My Mum never realised I had autistic signs as a child until she was involved in my diagnosis, and was very surprised that things she had considered "normal" were very interesting to the psychologist. She grew up with a younger brother, my uncle, who seems to have autistic traits very similar to mine - so I guess he was her model for what a normal little boy should be like.

I think because my dad and mum also display autistic traits it was always seen as normal in my family.

None of us like vauge statements, surprise gifts or lying to each other. We are all very blunt and easily tired by social situation etc. So it has always been normal to us.

I went through a form recently with my mum to apply to get an assessment and she thought lots of the question showed I was 'normal', however I have got through the preliminary screening and will be having a full one soon.

I am 23 and it has only occured to me this year that autism fits the bill for all the issues I have been having for years.

The autism I exhibited in my toddlerhood was nothing which can be "ignored."

I didn't talk. I would scream all night. They couldn't take me anywhere, lest I destroy whatever place they take me to.

Nothing subtle about my autism then.

This does not mean that I have no belief in the fact that people can be autistic while presenting relatively subtly.

Autism can only be onset in early childhood, no later than that or else it's something else. I have never heard of a case where a kid all of a sudden starts to develop autism at a late age with no explanation. According to my mom I didn't start to slip onto the AS criteria until puberty but I have always had symptoms before that. Then she admitted how I had issues with furniture being moved so she had to tell me in advance she will be moving them that day. This was before puberty. Okay so how is it that I was having symptoms if she told me I didn't slip onto the criteria until puberty?

Maybe things I did were so subtle no one noticed and maybe things I did were appropriate at my age so no one took notice. Maybe things I did were associated with my language impairment. But my mom has told me she always knew I had something and had more going on than just language. Maybe it was because I am a female and also because it was the early 90's where autism meant you were never friendly and weren't social and didn't talk to people and you just ignored everyone. I was never like that. It was only kids that thought I was mean and rude and weird and stuff while the adults thought the opposite. They only saw language. I couldn't imagine what it must have been like for my mother to know you know your kid has something but you can't get anyone to see it so you have to figure it out yourself to help your child and the first step is finding out how their brain works and what is their learning style. Then you do have other diagnoses for your child but it's still doesn't explain everything because you get one issue resolved but other things still go wrong.

Also another thought I have is maybe my anxiety is what brought the symptoms out because it made it hard for me to just deal with them so it looked like I started having it in puberty.

A LITTLE KNOWN FACT: VERY LATE ONSET AUTISM

It's almost always closer to age 3, though-----and many times before age 3.

There are many instances of 2-year-old kids who, all of a sudden, lose most of the skills which they acquired to date.

My daughter still doesn't have her diagnosis but there is plenty of evidence that she is on the higher end of the autistic spectrum. I would say that whilst there were some early traits it was very much a case of when social expectations increased and outside stress increased that she experienced what I can now only assume was some form of autistic burnout. In her case she had a crash at 5 and now again one at 8. The one at 5 resolved with a lot of work and as life resumed we didn't push for an assessment at that point. The one at 8 was much more substantial and as she has found her footing again, she is coping much better but now displays many more autistic traits than before. It is likely they were all there but she either masked them or we simply didn't pick up on them until they were more extreme or (best case scenario!!) she now feels more comfortable and displays more autistic traits cause she is simply more at home in her own skin. This is not to say there was nothing going on before this, it is just it was within the realm that could be considered the "far end" of neurotypcial child development. However, now when I see it, I can't imagine not seeing it, if that makes sense!

Someone posted this on my thread a while ago and it might be interesting/relevant to you too. It talks about how autism might be diagnosed later, misdiagnosed or missed altogether in girls.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti ... -in-girls/

I also found the book "I think I might be Autistic" by Cynthia Kim really interesting because she reframes the DSM criteria as questions that are easier to answer. She does make the point that certain traits need to have been present from childhood, but I found the way she phrased the questions made things easier for me to understand/relate to and think about. She also talks about her route through assessment which is interesting if you're thinking of going down that path yourself.

So if you met the symptom criteria for ASD/autism but not the age criteria what would you be diagnosed with ?

Thanks guys. I believe anything is possible. I am being tested for autism on Tuesday. Someone said that she "hopes they see what (she) sees in herself". Honestly I hope I get diagnosed, autism explains my life. My parents might have missed signs but I see signs of it everywhere now.

Two disorders which mimic autism immediately come to mind:

1. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

2. Avoidant Personality Disorder.

ADHD also presents with autistic-like symptoms sometimes---though many people with ADHD, in my experience, tend to be "hyper-social," rather than socially awkward.

One should also read articles about how autism might manifest itself in females.

There are many times when females have "classic" autism, or have evident, high-functioning autism. Other times, though, the symptoms are more subtle for various reasons.