Aspie traits becoming more apparent over the years?

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Looking back to when i was younger, i have to say I was "different", but not to a point where I didn't have friends, or sat by myself at lunch, even at work. Now, for some reason my aspie traits seem to be much more apparent, I dont know if I'm realizing it more, or its getting worse.
I.E. now I can't speak to people without feeling really anxious. My anxiety might be noticeable, which causes the people i speak to fidget.....
(part of the problem was getting promotted to a aspie hostile department, which I knew nothing about)

It's the same with me, I still had problems when I was younger, but I could still talk to people without getting nervous, now I get nervous when I talk to people. And my obsessions are worse than they were when I was younger.

If your anxiety has gotten worse since you transferred, I would think it's them, not you. (It's not paranoia when they really are out to get you.) Is there any way to go back?

I have become very anxious around people over last few years, I think it's because I'm more aware of myself and I feel like I need to supress alot, but when I was younger I didn't feel as pressured and even though I was more aspie-ish then I was more care-free and did my own thing.

I think that over the years, eventually you can accept your differences, and learn to moderate them...

yeah, our 'symptoms' become much more visible as we age. We still get the 'pass' from folks because they are just meeting us, but if they see us eating by our selves at lunch, reading a book instead of chattering to co-workers at break, they get a clue we are not like . . .well -them!- our talking gets to them, or our subjects when we talk, our staring or our not staring, eye contact or hawk eyes boring into their souls. .

this is only my experience, as I have gotten older, my autistic symptoms have become almost invisible to me (probably because I am more and more used to them) and more and more visible to others (also probably because they are more invisible to me.)


Merle

I was most anxious when in my late teens and early twenties. Prior to that I was just socially clumsy and didn't give a damn. Then I discovered I needed to behave in certain, very complex ways, especially when trying to meet members of the opposite sex. Aspergers and dating don't go very well together.

Now I'm 48, married and technically quite good at socialising. However, I still can get anxious and tend to prefer my own space more and more so avoid social situations anyway. Since learning about Aspergers a year ago I've settled into being who I am now with less worries about being different. It is almost full circle back to not being so anxious any more simply because I don't give a damn again. If you can't relax and live with yourself by 48 you probably never will.

I can't say that my traits have become more apparent - but one trait, difficulty socializing, has begun to bother me more in recent years. I think that as the people around me age, they are less interested in socializing with those of us who are outside their own comfort zone. They are much more likely to seek out friends who are like themselves.

But when I was younger - specifically, when I was in school - my peers were much more likely to make an attempt to reach out to me. When I was in college, I even had a girl ask me out (we became a very serious couple for about two years.) I think that young people are generally less bothered by differences (or eccentricities) in the people they socialize with - which was good for me.

As far as my other AS traits are concerned, I think I've learned to cope better as I've gotten older. So, whether or not the traits are becoming more apparent - my coping skills have improved to keep pace with them.

I've seen the opposite.

I used to have echolalia (although really mild, and I had transitioned to muted echolalia by age 8, and phased it out entirely by the start of high school), I used to stim in public, and I used to say a lot more off-colour comments in elementary and middle school years.

Then again, I don't have anxiety disorder. And a lot of people exhibit a recency bias (only paying attention to the most recent data).

When I was younger, I stayed in my comfort zone. I avoided activities and situations that were uncomfortable whenever I could.

When I entered the workforce, the coping skills I had developed over the years were not enough. I was suddenly put into uncomfortable situations that I had to meet head on. My success was no longer based solely on studying, working hard and doing well on a test, but now included a large component of social navigation. This led to marked increase in anxiety.

As an adult, I understand my strengths and limitations and have a well of coping skills to draw from. But this has been outpaced by adult responsibilities and situations, making my problems seem bigger now than they did when I was a kid. The people I avoided when I was younger, I now must deal with in the workplace.

I guess what I am saying is that my traits aren't getting worse, I am just being put into far more situations where my limitations are exposed.

Interesting topic. My AS BF and I were extreme aspie children. He was almost mute and I did not have friends. I wasn't even that aware of other children. My mother would say, "Look, it's that girl in your class. Say hi!" and I would look down because I didn't recognize her.

As I've gotten older, I've learned to compensate better for the social problems. However, under stress, my AS traits exacerbate.

This is what is worse though: sensory sensitivities (esp. to light,) avoidance of going out, awareness that I don't have real friends except for BF (I used to delude myself that acquaintances were friends.)

I've come to realize in more and more detail how my brain works, having gone through a LOT of testing, and I have more to come on Tuesday. My executive functioning problems have stayed constant.