Autistic adults
IN BRIEF
Autism can affect children, but it does not disappear with age. Autistic adults remain autistic throughout their lives. However, with maturity and experience, many learn to navigate life with their autism, making it harder to detect. For instance, like most adults, they may learn to manage emotions better, use strategies to function despite challenges, or suppress certain behaviors in public. Many have also learned to imitate expected social behaviors or mask their unique traits. Often, these adults face significant difficulties but attempt to cope privately. Furthermore, many grew up in times when diagnostic tools and research were less advanced, complicating their recognition.
Autism in Adults: Why Might an Adult Be Autistic Without a Childhood Diagnosis?
Late autism diagnosis in adults is a significant issue. Autism can present in diverse ways, with varying intensities. While some individuals may have intellectual disabilities or difficulties with verbal communication, others may have average or above-average cognitive abilities. This variability complicates diagnosis, especially for adults who were not identified as autistic during childhood.
Difficult access to diagnosis
Approximately four out of five adults report challenges accessing evaluations or receiving official diagnoses. Additionally, misdiagnoses are common.
Source : Hop’ toys
Autism Without Intellectual Disabilities
A significant portion of undiagnosed adults are those without intellectual disabilities. These individuals often have verbal communication abilities and cognitive levels within or above the average range. Consequently, many were not diagnosed until adulthood, if at all. Nevertheless, the absence of intellectual disabilities does not shield them from social challenges.
Autistic woman
Women are often diagnosed later than men, possibly due to genuine differences in how autism manifests or due to societal and gender-related factors. Women may be better at mimicking others and concealing their unique traits. Their need for solitude might be more socially accepted, and their interests may appear more conventional. Unfortunately, many women receive incorrect diagnoses such as depression, bipolar disorder, or borderline personality disorder.
Evolution of Knowledge About Autism
Many autistic individuals grew up during periods with limited research on autism. This lack of understanding made diagnosis more difficult and often led to misdiagnoses.
Symptoms and Signs of Autism in Adults
Social Awkwardness
Adults with mild autism traits often appear socially awkward. This may include struggling to understand conversational dynamics, focusing excessively on themselves during conversations, or missing nonverbal social cues like facial expressions and body language.
Communication and Social Interaction Difficulties
These challenges often persist into adulthood, though they typically begin in childhood or adolescence. Autistic individuals may find it hard to grasp social nuances or engage smoothly with others.
Specific Interests or Special Interests
Long misunderstood as “restricted interests,” specific or special interests are a core aspect of autism and are part of the diagnostic criteria in tools like the ICD-10 and DSM-5. These interests often involve intense focus on one or more topics, which may seem unusual or overly specific. For example, an individual might have a deep interest in collecting all types of light bulbs or memorizing train schedules. The intensity and time devoted to these interests set them apart from typical hobbies.
These interests can manifest themselves as a preoccupation with one or more subjects that may be deemed unusual or excessively circumscribed in terms of definition. For example, it could be a strong attachment to uncommon objects, such as wanting to know and collect every type of light bulb in existence, or knowing all the train timetables in a region.
They can also manifest themselves in the amount of time devoted to an interest that might seem ordinary. For example, an autistic child might have a passion for cats, which is common. However, the amount of time he or she devotes to this interest would be considered out of the ordinary, especially in an adult.
Men and boys are more likely to have interests considered “abnormal” by others.
Repetitive behaviours
Lower-Order Repetitive Behaviors
Includes actions like hand flapping, object manipulation, body rocking, and vocalizations such as grunting or echolalia (repeating phrases).
Higher-Order Repetitive Behaviors
Encompasses routines, rituals, insistence on sameness, and special interests.
Rigidity
Autistic individuals may exhibit inflexibility around routines or rituals, experiencing significant distress over small changes.
Sensory Sensitivities
While not part of diagnostic criteria, sensory sensitivities—both hyper- and hyposensitivity—are common among autistic individuals:
Hypersensitivity
Enhanced perception of certain senses, where the brain prioritizes specific stimuli, which can feel overwhelming.
Hyposensitivity
Reduced perception of certain senses, where the brain filters or masks information, which can create challenges.
These sensitivities can manifest in responses to:
- Light
- Tastes
- Smells
- Sounds
- Colors
- Textures
- And much more
Eye contact
Eye contact varies widely among autistic individuals. Some avoid it entirely, others focus on non-eye areas of the face, and some learn to make eye contact but do so in ways that may seem intense or unnatural. Regardless, eye contact often remains atypical.
Associated Conditions
Autism frequently coexists with other conditions, traits, or disabilities, including intellectual disabilities, dyslexia, Tourette’s syndrome, epilepsy, ADHD, eating disorders, anxiety, sleep disorders, and depression.
Signs Visible From Childhood
Many signs and symptoms of autism can be observed in early childhood. For more information, see the “Signs of Autism in Children” section.
Comprehensive List of Differences
Autism varies greatly from person to person and can be particularly hard to identify in adults who have learned to mask their traits. It is important to consider all aspects of daily life to compile a list of differences that could indicate autism. Such a list is crucial for obtaining a clear diagnosis. This document is intended as a guide to help analyze an individual’s traits and highlight potential signs of autism.
For more detailed guidance on preparing for a diagnosis, consult our diagnostic preparation page.