Do most people become more autistic?

[Ginseng]

I do not know if I am just having so many issues because I am overly stressed, but things are getting worse and not better as I age. I think I recall a discussion like this before. I tried to search it on here, but I could not find it. I hope if I am repeating a recent discussion y'all will forgive me and be patient. You will be old yourself one day if you hang in there. While it is true that stress is messing me up, I think it is my autism that is causing me to not be able to handle the stresses I used to be able to handle. I feel like I have become a different person. I keep having stress break downs or over loads that leave me worse each time. Can anyone of you older people relate this this? And you younger people who may be having stress over loads that seen to get worse each time and leave you more vulnerable to more frequent stress overloads. I hope this made sense.

 

[Isadoorian]

No such thing as becoming "more autistic", you're already at the part of the Autistic Spectrum you're on now, but there is a chance one can have more frequent meltdowns or said meltdowns can get more severe; the same could be said for Panic/Anxiety Attacks and Depressive Episodes, and more or less just about any other co-morbid one can have alongside their ASD.

 

[Fino]

I feel like I've continually gotten worse my whole life, but I've always figured that it's because the longer you're alive, the more terrible things that happen!

 

[Ginseng]

I am sorry Fino, that made me laugh. I hope it was intended to be funny.

Fino said: "but I've always figured that it's because the longer you're alive, the more terrible things that happen! "

 

[Judge]

I think if anything the amplitude of an autistic person's traits and behaviors can change in time, with some going up and some going down. Some of my traits seemed rather apparent at an early age, where others didn't begin to show up until later.

 

[Ginseng]

Well, technically you are correct Isadoorian. I just meant more symptoms of autism or more pronounced and less able to hide them like I could in the past.

 

[Ginseng]

Yes, Judge. That makes sense. I guess that is a better way to say what I was thinking but couldn't find the right way to express it. You did good.

 

[Fino]

I am sorry Fino, that made me laugh. I hope it was intended to be funny.

Fino said: "but I've always figured that it's because the longer you're alive, the more terrible things that happen! "

I've gotten that sort of "sorry, but that was funny" thing a bunch of times now here!

It's something I felt was true but, yes, I did attempt to put it in a way that would be more humorous to offset the sad part of it.

 

[Ginseng]

Aw Fino. That is sad!

 

[Major Tom]

I've noticed that I have a much more difficult time remembering things and concentrating the older I get. I think stress and also degradation of the brain is to blame. I have never heard of symptoms worsening, but it may seem that way with age.

 

[china autie]

Yes, what @Judge said about amplification.

 

[Progster]

Some things have got better - I'm more emotionally mature and better at recognising and knowing how to respond to social cues, perhaps a bit better at understanding people in general, but this is down to life experience rather than becoming less autistic. I have found that I've become less able to cope with stress and change, some sensory issues have got worse, and I get tired, overloaded or stressed more easily. I agree with @Isadoorian that one doesn't become more or less autistic, one just shifts position on the spectrum, and with @Judge that the amplitude of the traits can change with time.

I've noticed that I have a much more difficult time remembering things and concentrating the older I get. I think stress and also degradation of the brain is to blame. I have never heard of symptoms worsening, but it may seem that way with age.

Same here. It sucks

 

[Fino]

Aw Fino. That is sad!

Oh no!! See what happens when it's not funny?

Here you go:

 

[Theta.G]

There's several conditions people told me would get better with age.
... Nope.
Placebo.
If one strongly believes it will get better with age (easier to deal with) then it probably will.

Quality of life also plays a big role. If your quality life is much better years down the line than it was when they told you "it gets better with age" then it will be better compared to several years ago. (Better quality of life = improved physical, mental and emotional health)

It's not much different from hoping for another.
"I hope you feel better soon..."
"I hope you land that job!"
Hope says it might happen. Faith / belief says it will.
"It gets better with age!" ... no... it might get better with age but that depends on ones future. Or belief system.
no different from hope, unless one blindly accepts the command.

If you exercise, eat right, and continually do mental exercises / challenge yourself it will get better with age.
If you barely move throughout the day, eat garbage food and never exercise your mind or challenge your limitations it will get worse or stay the same.

 

[Sarah S]

What i can say about AL my multiple NPD diagnosis is that this past 8 years now they have AL gone down hill , increased, evolved, added new ones (said side diagnosis that is ) with lightning speed and continue down day by day. And for me its my life situation and HIGH levels of constant bombardment of NEGATIVE stress and life situation in general .

 

[OlLiE]

for me it depends on how stressed i am,
the more energy i have in reserve the better i can hide my symptoms,
the more tired and stressed i am the harder i can hide it

 

[Autistamatic]

In clinical terms (i.e. observed behaviours) we tend to display less autistic behaviours as we get older. The older we get and the more we learn about life the better we cope and the more effective our attempts to mask and/or accommodate.
For all of us, it's taken as read that stress and fatigue make it more difficult to function in a way that is not natural. That is to say that such factors make us act more according to type - our autism becomes more noticeable to ourselves and others. This can be a vicious cycle, because the overt autistic behaviours affect our relationships and our ability to function in everyday terms, which causes more stress, which amplifies our traits, which exacerbates the stress...
There is very little information or research available about how autism may change beyond middle age (I know, I've looked). We've only recently seen autistic adults of any age be properly acknowledged, and services across the globe are still heavily biased towards juvenile needs.
My personal opinion is that it's inevitable that as our mental faculties become less sharp as we progress into senescence, our abilities to behave against our nature are bound to recede. Our memories may become less accurate, we may tire more easily and our reactions may slow. If such changes make our autism rise to the surface again it will likely cause stress, and we're back into the familiar vicious cycle again...
I don't know how old you are @Ginseng so I can't say whether old age may be a factor in your current state of mind, but I'd say if you're under 60 it's very unlikely. The older you get, the more likely it becomes, but don't discount stress on it's own as being responsible.

 

[the_tortoise]

Managing life with autism as an adult is hard. As we age we may grow tired, mentally and physically, and we may accrue damage to our psyches that can wear us down or even break our spirits. The demands pile on and become more complex with age, while our resources may be depleted to the point where we cannot cope anymore. This has been my experience.

 

[Gracey]

I hit early perimenopause and didn’t recognise myself.
(Early in comparison with a global average,
not early when compared with other female relatives)

My organised,neat and recognisable world turned upside down and I’m floundering like a fish out of water.

I’m more aware of and recognise Autistic traits due to reading up on them,
rather than becoming more aspie.


there may be a possibility of self fulfilling prophecy perhaps?
Or not.

At the moment I have an extraordinary amount of freedom to ‘just be’

I don’t like it and am struggling to cope with it.
I function better when I have to work within ‘structures’

I digress,

I got older, hormones went nuclear, I changed.
(Drastically in some respects)

 

[Ginseng]

I will be 64 this month.

I don't know how old you are