Late-onset Asperger's?

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In my case I was less social as a young child, more outgoing as a teen, but then returned to being socially isolated as an adult.

I think for me being outgoing was basically roleplaying in an attempt to get along better, but I did find it extremely draining.

I did not know anything about Asperger's until I was in my 30s, although I learned later that teachers thought I had "autistic tendencies" as a child.

I have fleeting memories from when I was very young (~5 years old) of being quite confident but as I got older my (what I now know to be) AS traits started coming through in a big way.

This is actually something that I've been thinking about quite a lot over the last couple of years; I wouldn't say that since my teenage years my Aspie-ness has got any better or worse, it's more like it's changed. I function a bit better in social situations now than I used to, but I'm far less tolerant people/the general public than I used to me.

Whether that's the AS changing or whether it's just life experience I couldn't say for sure however.

Like many have stated in this thread, there is no such thing, but there are many reasonable explanations for why it has not been discovered earlier. I myself have been flying below the radar for many years, despite many kids and adults calling me weird. Alchohol has been my social lubricant for many years(almost every weekend), but after an incident with the police I stopped drinking and my sociallife went all downhill from there. I coped apparently well socially up until I could start drinking(at age 14-15), and until I stopped drinking(at age 24). This could be perceived as late-onset Asperger's. (on a side-note, alchohol "helps" for two days, the first day you are drunk or "in a good mood", the next day you have an excuse for being you, since it's normal to have a hangover)

You're not alone, as you can see from my above reasoning. I am a father now, living the "family man" lifestyle.

After I stopped drinking, I tried out some work here, and some work there, wasn't really successful attempts. I've drifted away from my family. I have no contact with any old friends except one guy who luckily is very persistent and wont give me up. I've tried initiating contact with former friends, but I've met little reciprocation. These are a few things, but there is also the personal shortcomings I need to figure out how to deal with. Right now I'm trying to figure out what crap is worth fixing, and what I should just discard.

So learning at age 32 that you have Asperger's isn't a pleasant surprise, but it's still very nice to finally get some answers to all the questions you've had growing up, and also getting some tried and proved tools to improve my life.

I'm late to this thread, but I would describe it as late-recognition Aspergers rather than late-onset. There were also some comments above about Aspies who were "faking" social skills but I would describe that as "over-compensating" for a social flaw that they recognized in themselves.

I'm a songwriter-- and writing has been my own personal therapy for overcoming social awkwardness. There is a feedback-loop involved in songwriting and I know that some of what I write means nothing to others, but there is also an over-compensation where I will go way out of my comfort zone to write in a way that WILL matter to others. It's a tactic but I don't consider that faking social awareness. If anything, it's a case of documenting and expressing the social rules for the "norm" that everyone else grasps intuitively.

I'm borderline in my Aspie scores, so perhaps that's why I can toggle the switch between Aspie and seemingly social behavior. But I dislike social situations and know in my heart I'm over-compensating for a known weakness.

As a counter-argument I could even say that non-Aspies are OVER-stating their emotions on the opposite end of our spectrum. ie- chasing popular trends, TV shows, idolizing celebrities, etc, in their mad race for mediocrity and their dream a life in the middle of the bell-curve-- where they are socially accepted and unchallenged. Why should they feel so comfortable and safe because they're achieving mediocrity? Aren't the 80% in the middle of the bell-curve the ones who need the most therapy?



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well first of all am almost 30 y, i do have problems and am seeing a psychologist . i went there bc i have anxiety(and other stuff) that started from my childhood but i get treated now for depression. i didn't know about autism but reading your experiences i can relate very well on a lot of points. now i read that autism goes hand in hand with anxiety & depression.

-very bad socially
-can't keep eye contact
-hate crowed enviro...
-never been in a relation...
-i hate getting to close( physically) to someone or getting touched i(body, don't know how to act) get stiff.
-difficulty with emotions, even when family member died i coudn;t cry.
-living solitude for years now.
-hate hard sound or people talking loud.

etc..


i am trying to figure out how i should ask my psychologist about it that i want to get tested for autism.
i am thinking about emailing her a letter bc i am not good verbally , may i ask you people who had a diagnosis on a late age , how did you ask for it bc am afraid that they won't take it seriously.

Hi all

I can relate to A LOT of what has been written in this thread.

I was outgoing and outcast, but have got better at socialising with age, and still find it tiresome.

I had much trouble at school, particularly with peers. I tended to resort to friends of a different age to me, if they were more tolerant.

I received a diagnosis of Depression and Anxiety in the early 90's. (I'm still prescribed anti-depressants.)

I used drink and drugs for years from an early age, but the sh*t hit the fan I when tried to do the family thing, and failed. I just couldn't cope. I didn't give up, but it was impossible at the time.

My mother, a very experienced and accomplished children's teacher and parent of three, told me in my early adulthood, that she suspected I may be Aspergian, this was mid 90's. She had good explanations for this view, but said that when I was growing up (70's/80's), I was just labelled as a "problem child" wherever I went.

I reluctantly asked my GP about Asperger's, in the mid 90's, but it didn't come to anything.

At 39, I received a diagnosis a couple of months ago. It explained a lot, and helped me be more accepting of myself. Now I try to let myself retreat from some stressful situations and tasks, if I think it is reasonable to do so. So I may well seem less sociable.

How one receives a diagnosis is very dependant on their location. Even within the little UK here, it differs from one county to the next. I had to be very proactive (this is essential) in order to get seen be an appropriately qualified professional. GP's often know less than us!, as we tend to have analysed our situation with far more insight than any brief appointment can offer. I was actually told flat out that I categorically did not have Asperger's, by two doctors, but then went on to receive a diagnosis from an actual specific Adult Asperger's Clinic! (NHS), after extensive interviews, and tests.

Diagnosis of the syndrome (a collection of clinically recognised traits) is most definitely achieved through an almost detective like exploration and analysis of all aspects of an individuals life, both past and present. No one or two similarities or differences will provide a diagnosis either way.

I do feel quite bitter about all the confusion and intolerance that has been in my life, but am trying to move on with more wisdom and pragmatism now that I have an explanation.

Good luck