Could I Be Mildly Autistic

New Symptoms That May Appear During Adolescence

Autistic children can often find adolescence very difficult. Although they have the same hormones as all other teenagers, they dont naturally develop complex relationships and arent able to interpret or engage in the more types of relationships which develop as children get older. They can be prone to isolation and low moods, which can appear very intense and be difficult to read.

You Often Find Sarcasm Puns And Irony Difficult To Understand

People with autism sometimes don’t quite “get” jokes and humor of certain kinds, partially because of social difficulty. A 2014 study of high school students, some of whom had autism, found that autistic teens respond far better to certain types of humor than others: nonsense jokes and aggressive humor. They didn’t have the same ease with stuff like puns or self-defeating humor. You may also have a bit of difficulty with sarcasm, irony, or weird idioms.

Does Mild Autism Exist And If It Does What Does It Look Like

Mild autism is a term that is often used to describe individuals who have a normal to high IQ and full language. Individuals with autism and parents have been asked to share their feelings on this emotive topic.

Which terms should be used?

Having autism can feel like pushing a rock uphill, Alex Lowery.

The American Diagnostic Manual 5 has placed all autism under the umbrella Autism Spectrum Disorder. It is argued that autism is a spectrum condition, and the different terminology that is used just causes confusion. However this is controversial. A lot of individuals with a diagnosis of Aspergers Syndrome like the term and feel threatened by these changes.

Gary Burge an autism advocate who has Aspergers Syndrome said, The changes to the DSMV dont reflect me as I dont have an Autism Spectrum Disorder which makes me sound broken, damaged and needing to be fixed!

There is also concern that children may miss out on a diagnosis, and not get the help they need.

Here are some personal accounts of how individuals with full language and an IQ within the normal range are affected.

Autism is a hidden disability. Which brother has autism?

Autism is a spectrum condition. How an individual is affected varies greatly and can change throughout a persons lifetime.

You can have a mild rash or a mild cold but not mild autism.

It feels like climbing a mountain.

If you would like to book Alex to come to speak at your organisation see here

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What Are The Tell

Autism spectrum disorder is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders. It can be seen in all groups of age. The Centers for Disease Control states that the disorder does not discriminate between racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups.

Oftentimes, certain severe forms of ASD are diagnosed before the child turns two. However, high-functioning individuals may not be recognized and diagnosed until later ages in their lives.

• The level of science,
• Knowledge on autism spectrum disorder itself at the time,
• Lack of social and economic means they had,

This happens because autistic adults were not diagnosed when they were children.

Since autism spectrum disorder is still, in part, a mystery, studies generally focus on where the disorder stems from to figure out how it occurs in the first place. This has caused the focus to be on children. The adults who have never been diagnosed in their lives were partially left out in the research sphere.

However, in recent years, awareness of autism spectrum disorder in adults has increased significantly. This is due to the fact that the public is now aware of the signs and understands that a diagnosis can be made even later in life of a person.

Autism spectrum disorder impacts three main areas in an individuals life: the social aspect, communication, and their behaviors.

Since we understand autism more and more every day, we are now able to differentiate and diagnose more adults with ASD.

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What Are The Symptoms Of Autism

The most obvious symptoms tend to involve communication and interaction with others.

Autistic people may have different ways of learning, thinking, and problem-solving. Intellectually, autistic people can fall on a range from severely challenged to gifted.

Everybody is different. Some people will have many symptoms, and some will have only a few. Signs of autism in a 3-year-old or 4-year-old may look different from those who are teens or adults. Some autistic people may be able to mask their symptoms.

General signs of autism may include:

• not responding to their name
• avoiding eye contact or not showing an awareness when others are speaking
• not understanding sharing or taking turns
• not looking at objects shown to them
• not pointing or responding to pointing
• having difficulty understanding facial expressions

In older children and adults, you might also notice:

• having difficulty reading body language, facial expressions, and other social cues
• not getting sarcasm, teasing, or figures of speech
• speaking in monotone

Also Check: What Is The Difference Between Autism And Autism Spectrum Disorder

Understanding Differences In Moderate To Severe Autism

As the parent of a child with autism, identifying the differences between moderate to severe autism assists you in understanding your child and helping him or her achieve a quality of life and the highest possible level of independence possible.

Here are some of the differences in moderate to severe autism.

Signs Of Autism In Adults

Autism spectrum disorder is a lifelong condition and some people with autism spectrum disorder are not diagnosed until they are adults. This could be because they fall into the higher functioning range of the autism spectrum and their symptoms are less severe, or because they were misdiagnosed with a condition such as or .

Although treatment can improve some outward symptoms, people with autism will always process sensations such as sound, sight, touch and smell in different ways.

Autism is a spectrum condition, which means that adults will have different experiences of day-to-day living. An adult with mild symptoms, who is towards the higher functioning range of the autism spectrum, may:

• Have difficulties with social interactions
• Avoid making eye contact
• Not understand nonverbal facial or body gestures, such as frowning or shrugging
• Not understand changes in tone of voice, such as sarcasm
• Be comforted by rules and routine
• Get upset at changes to routines
• Be under- or over-sensitive to loud noises, strong smells or tastes
• Engage in repetitive behaviors, such as pacing or hand flapping
• Have a narrow range of interests
• Have a good memory and recall of facts

An adult who is towards the lower functioning range of the autism spectrum may:

Employment may present a challenge for adults with autism. People with autism are likely to need adjustments to be able to work productively, such as lights that do not flicker or a quiet space to work in.

• Irritability

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The Flavors Of Autism

Genes can be passed directly from parent to child, but not all genetic changes, or mutations, come from parents. Children also can have mutations that occur by chance or by virtue of some environmental influence. Parents’ ages are one example of an environmental influence children born to older parents are more likely to have genetic changes that they did not inherit from their folks.7 These mutations are de novo, a Latin expression that means new.

Researchers theorize that families who have more than one member with autism are more likely to be passing down genes for autism. If that’s true, then those parents are more likely to show autistic-like characteristics than families who have only one member with autism. Scientists hope to figure out what those genes are, and how they trigger autism in their children. For example, would genes associated with rigidity or obsessiveness in parents be related to repetitive behaviors such as hand-flapping in their offspring with autism?

Some researchers believe there are different types, or flavors, of autism, and examining genetic influences can help pinpoint them.

Understanding the different types of autism, and the spectrum of traits related to autism, could lead to better and more individualized treatments, she said.

Can People Have Undiagnosed Autism

Researchers use something called an autism phenotype to describe people who have autism-like tendencies but dont qualify for a formal ASD diagnosis.

Researchers say someone in the autism phenotype has:

• Mild relationship problems. They struggle to join group activities. They cant always make close friends or develop romantic relationships. They may spend time with people much older or younger, or they may connect to pets instead.

• Unusual communication patterns. They may lean on digital tools, such as social media sites or internet chat rooms, to talk with others.

• Adaptive learning styles. They may have few friends or siblings to coach them on behavior and patterns, so they may research television programs or movies instead.

• Inappropriate social behavior. They may talk in an unusual manner that draws attention. Because they have poor social skills, they may be accused of inappropriate behavior.

• Obsessions. They may have favorite items or pieces of clothing that are worn from touches and hugs. They may be worried about order or perfection.

How many of these traits must a person have to qualify for the phenotype? Even experts say theyre not sure. No specific diagnostic tests exist. Doctors cant hand out a survey or a list of questions, score it, and tell a person whether or not the term applies.

People with autism tend to have difficulties in three areas.

Also Check: What’s The Meaning Of Autism

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What Are Some Of The Benefits Of Getting A Diagnosis

• Getting a professional diagnosis may help you to receive any appropriate funding, support and help you might need.
• Your family, friends and work colleagues may have a better understanding of you and your needs and it may allow them to support you more effectively.
• You may have a greater sense of self-identify if you understand yourself and the spectrum better.
• You may have a better understanding of your experiences as a child or adolescent.
• You may have increased confidence knowing you are part of a larger group of adults that may be like-minded.

Some adults find that by having a better understanding of the challenges associated with autism, they can use their strengths and develop strategies to support these.

Fast fact: Did you know that people on the spectrum commonly show character strengths such as loyalty, kindness, honesty and a lack of judgement?

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What Should You Do If You Think Your Teenager Is Autistic

Autism isnt curable. Its a part of your teens personality and selfhood.

Help your teen understand who they are and learn to love and accept themselves, especially if theyre worried about not fitting in.

First, see a pediatrician, psychologist, or psychiatrist who specializes in autism. Theyll be able to walk you through

• monitoring your teens development against a checklist of common developmental milestones
• performing an in-depth behavioral evaluation
• figuring out what resources may allow your teen to overcome challenges in adapting to neurotypical norms and becoming self-sufficient

Just like the signs of autism differ for everyone, the outcomes for autistic people will look different for each individual.

The first thing to understand is that your teen isnt impaired or deficient.

But they may need access to resources that can help them overcome challenges in adapting to neurotypical norms, depending on whether their ASD has been diagnosed as mild or severe.

Heres what you can do to make your teen feel loved and accepted by you and those around you, as well as how to help them love and accept themselves.

Language And Learning Impairments

Borderline autistic children have delayed language development but not to the same extent as of autistic children. They may also exhibit minor learning disabilities. However, for kids with borderline autism, learnability could be significantly improved by the use of behavior and concentration therapies.

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Can A Mildly Autistic Person Live A Normal Life

I was born in the early 1980s. I grew up in the small towns and remote villages of North East India. I didnt know it when I was young, but now when I look back, I believe I had and I still have a mild form of autism. I had a speech problem and stammered a bit. More importantly, I wouldnt make eye contact with others while interacting. I even preferred loneliness to socialization.

Though I went to a normal school, I was often bullied in school and was ridiculed for my strange behavior. However, having my mother as a teacher in the same school probably reduced the instances of bullying for me when I was young. Often, I was lost in my own thoughts and I avoided peer interactions.

I was pathetic in sports as my motor coordination was relatively weak when I was young.

I was hyperactive and had a very limited attention span. I was below average in my studies, to begin with, but I improved gradually with each passing year.

However, I was extremely lucky enough to have caring parents who supported me throughout, though autism was unheard of.

I am 37 years now I am living a comfortable life with a stable job and a great family.

Now, where do I stand in life as I had mild autism, to begin with?

Can Autism Develop Later In Life

The consensus is no, autism cannot develop in adolescence or adulthood. It is, however, common for autism to be missed among girls and people with high-functioning autism when they are young. Because they arent accurately diagnosed, it might lead to some people believing they developed autism as they matured.

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You Find It Much Easier To Be Alone

Autism in many forms is distinguished by feelings of social difficulty: not quite understanding, integrating, keeping up, or doing the “right thing” in social situations. Many autistics feel, obviously, that being on their own is a much easier option. Interestingly, some scientists believe that autistics could actually have originally been early “solitary foragers,”who survived in the wild on the strength of their attention to detail and ability to see patterns rather than their social ties. It’s still early days for that hypothesis, but it’s an intriguing idea.

Other Terminology You May Have Heard For Types Of Autism

Terms like mild or high functioning arent official diagnoses. Some people find these terms useful, but many in the autistic community havent found them to be helpful or accurate, largely due to the range of abilities that can be present in an autistic person.

You may also have heard about three levels of autism, with level 1 being the mildest and level 3 the most severe.

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Research On Sensory Integration Therapy

There have been many studies that have measured the effectiveness of sensory integration therapy for children with autism. Today, sensory integration therapy has become one of the most requested and utilized interventions for autism.

Ayres Sensory Integration therapy was developed to provide occupational therapists with a set of guidelines for how to provide consistent intervention. A review of studies that provided ASI therapy between 2006-2017 concluded that ASI is an effective intervention for the autistic population, especially those who are four12 years of age.

Living With Adult Autism Tip : Improve Communication And Relationships

If other people have a hard time reading and understanding youand you themyoull likely have difficulty with relationships. But you can still find ways to nurture a healthy social life.

Consider disclosing your diagnosis. Talking about your diagnosis can be difficult and the social stigma attached to ASD may make you shy away from doing so. While disclosure is entirely up to you and your comfort level, it may help improve some relationships. Letting close friends and family know about your diagnosis can help them understand why you have a hard time interpreting their sarcastic comments, for example, or why youre distressed by sounds that seem normal to everyone else.

Note when youre experiencing sensory overload. Perhaps you find it difficult to keep up with everything thats going on in an intense group conversation. Or maybe something as simple as loud traffic or a barking dog is bothering you. Do what you can to minimize distractions. This might involve switching rooms or leaving a larger group for a one-on-one chat.

Look for common ground with the person youre talking to. Establishing commonalities can lead to more relaxed and enjoyable conversations. If you have similar hobbies, thats, of course, great news. Otherwise, you can look for other things you both like or dislike. This could be anything from a shared interest in cars to a shared dislike for loud noises.

Support groups for adults with autism

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