Autism and stroke

I am a 72 year old man who has not been diagnosed with autism but I think I have always had autistic traits but there was little diagnosis or support when I was a child so I just struggled on through life and managed fairly well, at some cost to me. I have always had a continual anxiety about most things.
This carried on until I had a stroke caused by AF about 5 years ago. Since the stroke, my autistic traits have markedly reduced and now I enjoy joining groups and socialising with people - although it has to be quiet and few people at a time. I help stroke survivors in their own homes as a volunteer for the Stroke Association and generally now regard myself as a "people person - a huge change from before. I now suffer from an increased level of anxiety - especially anticipation type and am receiving counselling for this - self funded. I now have a phobia that makes travelling and staying away from home impossible. I took a degree from the OU - working for six years on my own at home and the end of that coincided with my stroke.

So, to get to the question!

Has any other adult here who is Autistic, or knows someone who has had a similar experience to myself, had a stroke and found that some of their autistic traits have disappeared or subsided after that stroke? I also find that I have a need to write and now write short stories and poetry every day - this also is only since my stroke.

Sorry if some of my language is not appropriate - this is not intentional.

Any help or direction towards help would be much appreciated.

Thank you for taking the trouble to read this.

  • Hello there, sorry to hear you had a stroke. 

    My mum had a TIA stroke some years ago and then a few years later two more. 

    Things changed with her from the stroke, she was an avid reader and it affected her concentration and cognitive skills so she can no longer concentrate to read a book. She could be quite dour about things, the serious one, but after the strokes she is very jolly and jokey, although she always was content and happy but she is preferring comedy shows to her beloved period dramas.  I don't think she worries quite as much as she used to do, or maybe the dysphasia(?) prevents a lot of that coming out. She's much more fun. 

    She has lost all concept of time and process, cannot think how to drive a car now, but has amazing memory of the past. 

    I don't know if my mum has any traits but now I am thinking about it, perhaps so as she was never a great socialiser, but could just be that she is a homegirl at heart. 

    But anyway, the strokes have changed things.