Possible to outgrow?

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I was diagnosed with Autism when I was about 9 and I've read the report and truly, I was worse than I thought. Cut to now however, and I still retain some traits, like some tics and social ineptitude, but most of what I used to have isn't there anymore. I think most of my social issues are just caused by anxiety because I was alone for two years and my social skills decayed no doubt. I can talk to people just fine (when I think of something to say =P). I don't know, is it possible to outgrow some of the symptoms? If you want more info just ask, I may have made this too thin on info, sorry! I also understand that what we would now diagnose as Autistic has changed since I was diagnosed so who knows?

I'm not sure anymore, but a lot of symptoms I had 5 or 10 years ago have reduced intensity significantly.

You can't just "outgrow" autistic problems. You have to learn about them, pinpoint what you want to change and work your way towards changing that. The help of a professional is hugely valuable, and there are great books and websites out there too. An example from my own life is that I learned how to get over a number of social problems by studying. I observed people around me, compared myself, read up on social skills and practiced what I learned. A combination of all that got me to where I am today. I still get lost in conversations and I still find them laborious and exhausting, but I can make connections and I can enjoy social interaction provided I keep it to a limit. I can't recommend it highly enough that you get any kind of help you can find in your area because there are professionals who work with autistic adults and can help you to work towards your goals

Like has been said, there isn't any way to outgrow unless you have a head swap operation since it is the brain that is wired differently, but it is possible to learn different strategies and coping mechanisms to dull down the appearance of whatever you have...it is never really gone, you have simply got better at adapting it.

No one truly believes I have communication issues, quite frankly they refuse to even believe that I was shunted off to a virtual prison for 10 years when I was 8 because my family didn't want to accept I was not "normal", I finally started forcing myself to learn and change though when I was 18, even at one point going to live in another country on my own without any family backup and since then I have adapted so well my speaking ability, no one has got the nous to actually try to strip down what I say and see that there is nothing really there though lol

I think it's possible that some Autistic traits can become less apparent. Maybe over time, maybe through hard work trying to 'get rid' of them.

No you cannot outgrow autism. Autism is a different wiring of the brain that cannot be changed (no matter how much some hopeful parents out there might think...) That being said, therapy CAN help many people. If cannot rid you of your symptoms, but people with autism are able to learn, and they can learn how to better manage these symptoms. Also, some people (particularly those with more mild ASD) have learned some coping mechanisms over their lives even without therapy, and this has covered still-present symptoms so that others (perhaps even themselves) do not notice their presence much anymore. Improvement is definitely possible for people of all functioning levels (not for everyone to be so-called normal...but just to be even a little less severe than they once were), but once an autistic person, always an autistic person.

You never "outgrow" autism, you just learn how to cope.

I think it is possible to outgrow some of the symptoms. The autism is still there, but you can learn social skills--especially if you study social behavior and try to learn from your mistakes. I can function pretty well now, but my childhood was hell.

Yes, but it is not outgrowing them. Learning a new skill does not mean it is something that has come naturally to a person. Certain things come naturally to NTs, and these skills can be LEARNED by those with ASDs, but they are not as natural as they are to NTs (because they were still actively learned at some point). Autism is always there...but you did say that too...and can never disappear.

While it's impossible to outgrow AS, apparent variations of severity can fluctuate depending on external factors. Just for fun, I thought I'd graph the severity of my own aspieness traits.