What It Means and Next Steps
What are the symptoms of autism in adults?
As children with autism mature into adults, some symptoms may get better, and others may get worse. The stresses associated with paying bills, starting a family, and holding a job can impact ASD symptoms in adulthood.
Common Adult Autism Symptoms Include:
- Finding it hard to understand other people’s emotions
- Anxiety about social situations
- Difficulty in making friends
- Often being misunderstood and appearing to be blunt or even rude
- Taking words and phrases too literally
- Having intense anxiety over any changes in the daily routine
- Avoiding eye contact
- Repetitive tendencies and behavior
On a more personal level, adults with ASD may:
- Have always wanted a best friend but never found one.
- Invent their own words to describe things.
- Repeatedly make involuntary noises, even in quiet places.
- Prefer to spend leisure time playing individual games and sports, where everyone works for themselves instead of working toward a common goal on a team.schoolwork, and their careers.
Testing for autism might include:
- Questionnaires filled out by parents and adult patients
- Structured tests (like IQ testing, dexterity skills, or tests of imagination)
- Examination of life skills (like washing, dressing, and eating)
- Self-assessment tests for adults and older teens
- Discussion of medical, personal, and family history
To be officially diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders, someone must have symptoms in two categories:
- Challenges with social interaction and communication, like making eye contact, holding a conversation, making friends, or reading social cues.
- Restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, like routines, rituals, repetitive movements or speech, or resistance to change.
Next steps to take after an Autism diagnosis include…
- Finding a support group with like-minded individuals.
- Consider ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis Therapy) to help navigate challenges.
- Begin intervention at an early age.
- Education to understand autism and coping skills to help create an environment in which you or your loved one can thrive.
- Consider medication management or non-invasive treatments to help reduce the symptoms of autism like anxiety or depression.