Becoming Less autistic?

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Hello all, i'm 24 and have been diagnosed with aspergers syndrome when i was 14. Like many others here, i think you can relate with me when i say that seconday school(or high school for you americans) was not an easy time. I feel like that was when my "autism was at it's worse", i had bad anger problems, constantly picked on etc etc all the cliches you can imagine. However, in recent years, i feel like a different preson, my social awkwardness is still there but i feel i have improved. Or, is this just because im high-functioning so i've learned to hide it away better as i've progressed into adulthood. I guess what i'm trying to ask is that, do you think autism has peaks and that over time the effects are reduced or is it simply that the brain and subconcious learns to adapt and react in a "more normal" way?

Indeed, when you get older you learn to better cope or hide your problems, maybe learn to make better eye contact and improve on conversation skills. This is absolutely true for myself and I have read about it in books about autism as well.

I don't know if you can say you get less autistic though

Well I started out level 3 severely autistic and continued as such until somewhere between age 8 and 10. Now I am level 2. So yeah I am less autistic than I used to be. But I think that is been more a matter of occupational therapy helping me work around some of my impairments ie adapt.

Seems to be the case with me too, yes. Much stronger traits when younger, then about your age a combination of improving coping skills and conscious masking skills made me come across a bit closer to how NTs are, although I'm not at all confident I've ever really passed or fit in even as an adult with better skills.

level 3? level 2? i had no idea autism was measured in levels

I didn't know that about you, Ezra. Cool!

Ezra blossomed since he started going online.

Yes, the DSM 5 categorises autism into three levels; one, two and three. This is to compensate for the fact that diagnosticians can no longer distinguish between severities with the terms "autism" versus "Asperger's", as Asperger's was removed as a diagnostic category when the DSM 5 was created. Level one is the highest functioning, what used to be called Asperger's. Level two is more moderate, closer to the old "high to moderate functioning autism", and level three is the most severe, frequently with an absence of, or very limited language, and the greatest difficulty with independent living skills. This is what most lay people think of when they hear the word "autism".

I would say I've become "less autistic" over time, although I was only recently diagnosed.

I learned ways to adapt over the years. I did learn some social skills on my own through observation. Some things I learned because they were pointed out to me by others. I learned how to better control my emotions, and how to deal with obsessive thoughts. Sensory issues are no better at all. I figured out ways to get around problems with executive functioning. Still working on a lot of things.

There are actually studies being done right now to see if certain activities can over time change the brains of high-functioning autistic people. So I do believe that it's possible to not only adapt, but to change one's brain.

I was really quite classically autistic until age 5; then I became autistic in an Aspergian sense. It's slowly gotten better over time.

I've gotten worse over time. Sure I know all the tricks of "passing," but I don't have the energy anymore. Also over the past few years my feeling of separateness has increased.

My social difficulties have become (comparatively) really quite masked. I had a lot more difficulties when I was younger, but still struggle when I can't use existing scripts and when I'm tired, stressed or done too many other things.

My executive function difficulties are stretched very far now I have to keep on top of adult tasks. I can do lots of individual tasks but struggle with putting them together often enough that I can properly look after myself.

Being an adult means I also have to go into many more unpredictable situations.

My sensory difficulties are about the same, but I vary between being able to avoid those situations and having to be in them more owing to my less predictable life.

I meltdown less, but I also no longer have severe mental health issues linked to an abusive family, so there's that.

This was not neccesaraly true of the old diagnoses. Would a person whose disgosed with Aspergers with IQ of 80 be level 1?. Is the guy in New York City diagnosed with Aspergers who has such a train fetish he has been arrested 30 times for stealing trains and buses impaired severely enough to be level 2 or even maybe even 3?. But I would agree that the colloquial aspergers of today probably requires and IQ of 120 or above.

So his improvements were all due to us, right?! !

Same with me. And I have experienced more severe burnouts recently which have also contributed to me becoming "more Autistic." And the stresses of life that I have now are much more severe than when I was a kid so my traits and symptoms present much more strongly and much more frequently now than they did before.

Very well could be, Skibum!