Autism and aging

[SL JediKnight]

Hi everyone been awhile since I've been on here but I thought this would be interesting conversation how does aging getting older change an autistic or aspie does it get better as we get older or worse I'm 22 now almost 23 I've had autism since I was four I think but what are your experiences with the getting older?

 

[the_tortoise]

does it get better as we get older or worse

I think that a lot of that depends on the paths our lives take -- the environments we find ourselves in, the things we experience.

 

[Peter Morrison]

In short - getting older means getting wiser. You develop a strong sense of what you like and don't like, and you also learn what you can and cannot tolerate, and why. In essence, when you say "no", it means "no" for justifiable reasons. Your coping mechanisms may be sharpened, but all the obstacles are still there.

 

[Major Tom]

I think that as I age, I do indeed gain wisdom, but also I'm getting more forgetful and concentration is becoming more difficult. Learning new things is getting harder too. I think these are probably normal aging consequences, and unrelated to autism.

 

[china autie]

I am less able to pass for neirptypical for any length of time.

Social stuff has not really gotten better with average people. I have found some sense of community with the young anarchists, homeless, nearly homeless, and people who have been Othered by society too.

I still can't do small talk for any length of time. My eye contact is still a stare. I still stim and won't give that up.

My passions are still there (and I don't want to give those up).

I have grown more into my authentic autistic self.

Aches and pains--physical-- i got them. Ageing would be alright without those i think.

 

[Fino]

My weirdness level goes up in inverse proportion to how much I care what others think of me.

 

[inkfingers]

I think that the negative autistic traits have gotten milder over the years. Or I just know how to cope with them now. I think my whole life has been hard, but in different ways in different times of my life.

 

[inkfingers]

My weirdness level goes up in inverse proportion to how much I care what others think of me.

So do you mean that if you care what other people think of you, you act weirder? Because that's my experience, too. I've calmed down a little over the years, but when I was younger, I would act up and be really strange, because I thought that people would like me better!

 

[Fino]

So do you mean that if you care what other people think of you, you act weirder? Because that's my experience, too. I've calmed down a little over the years, but when I was younger, I would act up and be really strange, because I thought that people would like me better!

No, unless I used the phrase wrong or worded it wrong, I meant the opposite. The less I care what people think, the weirder I am! But I like yours too!

 

[SusanLR]

Some studies show we tend to have shorter life spans and cognitive/memory/earlier onset dementia.
Also as some have expressed and self included the senior Aspie tends to not care what others think
as much. Sometimes behavioural issues arise due to this and the tendency to isolate can increase.

 

[Progster]

I'm not so self-conscious and don't care so much about what other people think or fitting in. Emotionally, I'm more mature, more grounded, more socially aware and not so likely to do 'strange' things.

Some sensory issues are worse, and I feel I'm not as cognitively flexible as I once was... though rigid thinking has always been an issue with me. I get stressed out more by changes of routine and overwhelmed by things like travelling or having many tasks to complete. I'm more forgetful and get tired more easily by long periods of concentration.

 

[clg114]

You said that you had autism since you were four. I believe that if you have autism, you were born with it. As for getting older with autism, everyone is different and lives their lives differently. So there is no norm on how people handle aging with autism. For me, at 72, I find being autistic a lot easier than it was when I was in my teens and twenties. The positives of being autistic outweigh the negatives by a long shot. But not everyone feels that way about autism and aging.

 

[SL JediKnight]

You said that you had autism since you were four. I believe that if you have autism, you were born with it. As for getting older with autism, everyone is different and lives their lives differently. So there is no norm on how people handle aging with autism. For me, at 72, I find being autistic a lot easier than it was when I was in my teens and twenties. The positives of being autistic outweigh the negatives by a long shot. But not everyone feels that way about autism and aging.

I was first diagnosed with it at 4 and then at 8 I got diagnosed with Asperger's and then at 15 high functioning autism

 

[Nitro]

I was first diagnosed with it at 4 and then at 8 I got diagnosed with Asperger's and then at 15 high functioning autism

The diagnostic procedures used are all subjective.

The labels are fairly useless outside of clinical note taking, you have your own unique sets of challenges, so what is working for you is what is best for you.
As clg114 has stated, you are born with it, it doesn't develop over time.

 

[SL JediKnight]

The diagnostic procedures used are all subjective.

The labels are fairly useless outside of clinical note taking, you have your own unique sets of challenges, so what is working for you is what is best for you.
As clg114 has stated, you are born with it, it doesn't develop over time.

I agree with that i always believe I had it from the time I was born