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Having Autism Spectrum Disorder

Oz67

Well-Known Member
My symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder is so mild that I can't tell that I have it, unless I look at my school and medical records.

My social skills and social-emotional reciprocity has improved.
 
I believe it. Starting at 25 my social skills improved considerably and now I am more of a normal, awkward, person, though at times i still misread social communication.
 
The brain has some degree of plasticity. If we are motivated enough and/or our environment places us in certain situations for sufficient time, the brain does create alternate pathways over time. Personally, I am aware of this within myself,...I am not the same person I was, say even 20 years ago,...and a lot different than I was 40 years ago. I think socially and intellectually, these are areas where most of my changes have occurred. In some cases, even though I still am not wired for certain things,...I have created mental "work arounds" in order to create the illusion that I don't have certain disabilities. My sensory issues, though, have not changed,...I've just learned to better cope with them.
 
I didn't even consider the idea that I could be autistic until the age of 55. So it's a foregone conclusion that no one else in my orbit ever did. Which sadly includes medical professionals on two different occasions in my life spanning 1961 to 1982.

Of course most any medical professional would also point out that at 1982 they were just beginning to explore the research of Dr. Asperger, and the resulting three levels of ASD put forth by the DSM-V would come much later.

Oddly enough though, when I explained it all to my own brother he gave it a lot of thought and then agreed that it made sense. My autistic traits and behaviors were not all that noticeable up to puberty. Though sufficient for my parents to have investigated what I was all about when I was only five years old.

I often refer to the official figure of the CDC that autistic people constitute less than two percent of the population. However given people like the OP and myself, I suspect there are many more of us than statisticians and medical professionals have yet to account for.
 
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Funny, my experience was the opposite in that when I was in school and through my mid-twenties, other than being odd and quirky, I would never have guessed that I was autistic. My sensitivities I have now (mainly auditory and olfactory) were not an issue for me. I went to many live concerts without earplugs and didn't think twice about it, etc.

I attribute it to youthful brain "plasticity" as @Neonatal RRT refers to. I also firmly believe that peak levels of testosterone from ages 15-25 overrode any sensitivities I had.
 
I was socially awkward from an early age until about 26, when I started dating. Then from 26 - 50, I don’t think anyone suspected I was autistic. Then from 50 - present my autistic traits have become more apparent due to auditory sensory issues. However, during my life I have only had 3-4 close male friends; I find it easier to interact and make friends with women.
 
Autism feels annoying to have, I had Fregoli-related delusions, due to a lack of social skills I had and it prevents me from having a normal conversation with others, most of the time.
 
I knew I was different, and so did people around me from an early age. I got behind in school and was taken to a private tutor who, unbeknown to me, told my parents the thought I was autistic, and then gave some reasons, one of which was how I held my pencil (?), but this was the early 80s, so the doctor didn't think I had it because I could speak and apparently looked at him in the eye when he was asking me questions. Well, yes, I was about 12 years old and knew to look at people when they are talking to me. He should have tried that when I was 5 or 6.

I noticed that I couldn't join in group social conversations in high school, just used to sit there not saying anything. Not processing fast enough. At the time I couldn't understand how other people were naturally able to do this, but I couldn't. Now I know.

In my late 20s/early 30s my social skills and emotional maturity caught up somewhat, but the social group slow processing never went away.

As a child, I didn't have issues with lights but I always had problems with loud noises, I have certain foods and textures I can't tolerate - before I knew about the autism I was cutting labels out of clothes and chose clothes for comfort rather than style. Now these modern white LED or energy-saving light bulbs really bother me.

So some aspects can really improve, or one finds ways of managing them, but others don't ever change.
 

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