Among the prevalent signs of autism are difficulties in social communication and fixation on specific routines or topics, which may go unnoticed throughout one’s childhood. Hence, there is a growing curiosity on whether more adults might have autism. So, what is autism and what are its symptoms? American experts shed light on the topic…Living in the US state of Georgia, entrepreneur Natasha Nelson, aged 35, did not naturally understand social norms.
She was clueless about why people she met for the first time preferred small talks over deep conversations or why individuals enjoyed tidying up their beds.
A few years ago, following her youngest daughter receiving the same diagnosis, Nelson was diagnosed with autism herself.
She expressed, “If you’ve always felt like your life was in chaos and you weren’t feeling at ease, you weren’t progressing, just barely surviving and transitioning from one thing to another, what have you got to lose?” In many cases, symptoms of autism, such as struggles in social communication and fixation on specific routines or topics, may remain unnoticed throughout one’s childhood.
Nelson stated, “People have become my special interest now.” However, the scarcity of medical professionals trained specially to work with adults may make diagnosing autism in later stages of life costly and challenging.
Here are the key aspects we need to know about adult autism diagnoses according to the Associated Press news agency. Autism spectrum disorder comprises a range of intellectual, language, and social challenges, including sticking rigidly to routines, having fixed or obsessive interests, and experiencing difficulties in making eye contact or understanding nonverbal communication.
Autism is typically diagnosed during childhood. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends screening all children at around 18 months.
Over the past decade, more adults have attempted to gather knowledge about their neurodiversity, often after their children are diagnosed or upon seeing social media posts.
A study published last year in JAMA Network Open displayed a 452% increase in autism diagnoses among adults aged between 26 and 34 from 2011 to 2022. Some characteristics of autism may remain unnoticed until adulthood, when new social demands arise. Others might have learned how to hide certain behaviors through masking.
Whitney Ence, a psychologist working with autistic adults at the University of San Francisco in California, mentioned, “Adults have learned to compensate over time. They might have learned, ‘I can’t exhibit this in public, so I’ll do it privately.'” The overlap of symptoms among various disorders such as ADHD and OCD, related to difficulties in executive functions like nonverbal social cues or attention span, working memory, and problem-solving, may complicate autism diagnosis.
Symptoms vary for everyone, with most characteristics like enjoying routines or gathering information in rabbit holes being common even among non-autistic individuals.
However, Dr. Arthur Westover, a psychiatrist specializing in autism at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, stated that symptoms must lead to a significant impairment to meet the diagnostic criteria for autism.
Westover remarked, “We’re all human beings. We like routines… just enjoying a bit and feeling better with routines doesn’t mean you’re autistic.” Russell Lehmann, aged 34, has lived with an autism diagnosis for over 20 years. He finds comfort in eating the same meals and doing the same grocery shopping. Yet, if he doesn’t go to the gym for an hour and a half every day, he begins struggling with depression and feelings of failure.
While there are various online screening tools, autism is a complex diagnosis. Thus, experts suggest consulting with a primary care physician for a referral to a psychiatrist.
This psychiatrist might want to speak with individuals who were present during your early childhood, like family and friends, to verify the presence of symptoms during that time.
Some psychiatrists may refer you to a psychologist who could apply a standard autism diagnostic test or rely on their clinical judgment. There are no brain scans or blood tests for autism.
Obtaining an autism diagnosis as an adult can be costly and time-consuming. Westover noted a significant lack of professionals specializing in adults with autism. Nelson’s diagnosis took three years and cost her over $3,000.