Autism getting worse with age??

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I think for many people they do. But I think that has a lot to do with the kind of support system you have and had growing up.

Many kids today are much better with their symptoms as they get older because they have the support system in place to teach them and work with them and support them. Those of us who had to struggle and figure it out on our own had to develop our own survival and coping mechanisms without the proper support, especially if we had no idea we were Autistic, and especially if rather than getting support we got grief when we were going through it, some of the coping mechanisms we came up with to survive might have worked better back then when our environments were different. But when the environments and stresses change, sometimes those coping mechanisms no longer work as well so the symptoms and traits would then then get stronger.

It certainly is more loud and stressful now. That is why like with the OP we are seeing burnout in people in thier late teens and early 20's or younger.

I don't know if I'd call the changes I've seen in me as being "better" or "worse". My behaviours and sensitivities are more extreme, though.

I used to be able to handle malls, supermarkets, concert venues & bars, but now where ever people congregate I try to avoid like the plague. I eat my food cold right out of the can so I don't have to go down to the dining room in the shelter I stay in.

I was always a loner. I made some acquaintances along the way but now I'm back to being a loner again.

Lights seem brighter, sounds are louder, I'm more easily distracted, and just walking through downtown Seattle results in information overload and I have to retreat to a library for peace.

I used to rock back and forth as a child then stopped during my adult drinking years. I'm back to stimming, but in different ways. I don't try to stop it, so if people thinks it looks odd, oh well.

As for the distraction - I used to be able to drive people around, but now when they talk in the car, it distracts me to the point I drive erratically and make mistakes which, of course, could be fatal. I also now drive with the radio off.

And lo and behold - I'm back to making those ridiculous faux pas that drive people away. Things I've said were always "left of center", but now so much crazy s**t slips out that it's better to just keep my mouth shut.

I also wonder about with Autistic kids that are growing up in the support systems they have now, if some of the therapies are contributing to burnouts when they get older. I was wondering about that because from what I have heard from many people where I live, most of the people teaching Autistic kids are not Autistic themselves and those that I have met don't seem to know too much about Autism. So it made me wonder if some of the coping mechanisms they are teaching the kids and if some of the behavioral classes they are teaching them are mechanisms that would work for NT's and not necessarily for Autistics. So in a controlled environment they might do great but I wonder if a lot of those techniques will backfire later on when the kids become older and their stresses become greater.

I agree that the world is getting busier and more overwhelming. I grew up in the country, but now live in a high-population suburban area, and it makes a big difference in my ability to cope.

Autism gets worse with change. If you are at an age where there are lots of changes, yes, you could expect your autism to get worse.

So True!! !! !

I think I'm not understanding this thread.

For instance, I'm much more alone, and crave to be alone, more than I did during my drinking adult days. From a societal standpoint, yes, people live in clusters and there's strength in numbers.

From my standpoint, no, because I don't have to continually look over my shoulders or get run over by my neighbor. And by that algorithm it's very helpful to have more sensitive hearing and vision and to be more aware of dangers even if it means my thinking has become even more black & white.

Sorry Robin, I am a little confused. I read your example but I still don't understand what it is that you don't understand about the thread. Can you possibly explain it a little differently so that I can understand what you mean?

I guess what it is is I'm challenging the notion that an increase in your autism symptoms means you're getting worse. Yes, it's worse, if it makes you fit in less in society. No, it's better, because your increased isolation and hyper-vigilance is stronger protection from dangers to you, and I think an increase in black & white thinking means you're less likely to be fooled by a scam of some sort because you're more discerning.


Then again, I could be wrong. Won't be the first time.

Oh, now I understand what you mean. I see your point and totally acknowledge it. It's a perspective I had not thought of. It makes sense to me.

I think for me though, it's not so much about generally fitting into society because that is not as important to me. I have a couple of people who love me and do their best to understand me and as long as they do I can be okay with the need for friends and relationships. But for me the sensory overload is one of the biggest issues and whether I am alone or not alone, I am constantly bombarded with it. I can be 100% alone in my house and people outside will invade my personal space to the point of meltdown with their music. I can try to escape at the park and someone will always show up playing loud bass or with a screaming child or the park is just close enough to a busy street. When I was young people did not drive around with loud stereos and there were no subwoofers. Now it does not matter where I go or where I try to escape, they are just everywhere.

Dagnabbit young'in, you think 23 is old?! Maybe it was back in the Middle Ages. And no, I wasn't born back then! Also when I was knee-high to a grasshopper we listened to music on dem dere things called RE-cords, and Teevees only had three channels, and vidya games only came in two colors!



Okay, all joking aside, I don't know if age make autism worse or better. I'm 41 and the way some people go on I should have lost my teeth and have 50 cats and eat prunes like candy by now. I'm alone a lot more often, but that's not really a bad thing because I used to have to live surrounded by people all the time. People with severe mental illness most of which were chain smokers and were allowed to smoke indoors. It was only in one room, but the smoke still gets everywhere. I got a lot of colds and ear infections.

One thing about being older that does bother me is that I very seldom "role play" with my dolls and stuffed animals now. Others think this is a good thing because that was something I did since I wasn't good at socializing with real people and it means my Asperger's is "better", but instead I feel guilt and frustration and feel like I'm just a hoarder now. I don't want to be one of those "look but don't touch" collectors. I want to enjoy them the way they're meant to be.

In my case none at all.



When I was in my 20s I wound up in a therapy group with people who had been abused as children. My aspie traits were effectively noted and ignored. This was in 1990 when Hans Asperger's work was barely accepted as applicable to children. (Interestingly Asperger himself did not ignore his patients when they became adults.)


I defitely feel my skills to cope with social situations have not improved, possibly got worst.

That's actually the best explanation I've seen. Thanks for that.

Yeah, That is very true.
I think the thing that really gets my goat is that I NEVER thought I would start going non-verbal again, but here I am yet again.
I can't help but think it is "willfully" sometimes.
Like, I could talk now if I tried really hard/wanted to, but then I just think things instead and stare at people and don't form words.
Or if I do it's like this hushed mutter/whisper and I don't look them in the eyes. It just makes me seem REALLY incompetent.
Lately I've been wondering how much if at all NTs practice basic conversation....
Like I had to go to my boss for help with something the other day at work (that I knew before hand) and it took me 4 hours!! ! (all morning) to get up the courage to say it- while almost choking on my words.

I wasn't nervous, but instead just forcing myself really really past a limit... because I have this eternal internalized mother-voice saying things like:
"BE MORE SOCIAL"
"STOP BEING WEIRD"
"YOU NEED TO TALK MORE OFTEN"
"SPEND MORE TIME WITH PEOPLE"
'JUST TRY HARDER! YOU'RE NOT REALLY TRYING!"
and etc etc etc.
I vacillate (and surprise surprise! people really pick up on this and find it really f*****g WEIRD- as I've had pointed out for forever...) between hyperlexic and mute. If it's a special interest = hyperlexic/word vomit (like dear lordy ask me about rocks or train maps >___<! !!), but anything else and all I sputter out is very very very basic convo "Good morning nice day isn't it."
Or worse yet: "Hello, I'm fine and you?" <- like I"m a damn foreign language student!!
or just an awkward smile while rushing past.

Usually I can manage a lot more, but..... ehhh not so much lately/past couple of months.....

It's like during a convo:
"Hmmm, yeah, but then she said blah blah blah and I told her blah blah blah and you know?"
the there is this terrble gap in the convo and I'm like:
SHIT- time to play madlibs....ughhhh what do I say now? A noun? A phrase? A sound?!?! AGHH WHAT fills in the blank!?!
(you know the thing that is socially acceptable that the NTs will "accept" as a socially "valid" answer, instead of what I would actually say)
Then, I try and filter through some memorized lists.

When nothing comes up I sometimes can spontaneously generate something OR I just go "Hmm, yeah...."
followed by the horrid:
Awkward silence
this is terrible for NT relationship building.....

Honestly, I don't feel like I hear enough about this "autistic burnout" thing.
I have watched a couple of youtube videos and such about it, but my curiosity is not satiated
What was it like for you skibum? If you don't mind my asking?