Autism and Getting Older

Diagnosed at 56, which turned my whole life around. Since then, I think I've gotten better. I don't mask so much any more.  And I tell everybody. That way they know and can make their own minds up. And the ones who make their minds up in the right way are the ones I want to know. 

My autism hasn't gotten worse.  I've just gotten better at being myself.  I like the me I am now. If others don't like it, that's their problem. Not mine.

I'll be 60 next month.  I look forward to being a unique autistic 60-year-old.

When an Autistic person gets old then they might be difficult because of Autism and old age.  I would have thought in your middle years symtpms get less bad.

David

i think that as you age, your experience of the human condition drifts further from that of an NT and therefor the more "weird" you appear, but your coping strategies continue to evolve right up to the point were you stop trying to fit into a society that makes no effort to accomidate you and you go full hermit...

Firstly I am surprised that a "Melt Down" in the armed forces should get you a diagnoses.  it is very stressful being in the Armed Forces so any one can get a melt down Autistic or not.

Secondly I thought as we get older we should learn more how to cope with our Autism.

About Dyslexia although I have Six O Levels and Two A Levels I never past English and found it difficult to get a job largely because of that. The Dyslexia Institute found me not to be Dyslexic and I get things published in various places.  I think I have over come my Dyslexia.  I expect people some people as they get older over come their Autism. 

I do not like reading in the dark and I get very frustrated at Autistic meetings when the lights are turned off.  I like wearing sun glasses in bright sun light.

David.

I'm only recently diagnoised alothough, I have struggled with the symptoms my whole life. I'm 32 now and was only diagnosed because I had a serious meltdown at work (Armed Forces). As I've got older I have had increasing difficulty with coping. Light and noise sensitivity being the worse. 

I've researched this and found that there is a growing body of evidence to suggest people with Autism/ASD have similar neurological formation as those with Dyslexia. A study has shown that people with ASD can benefit from wearing tinted lenses. i have spoken with an optician about this and the term is Visual Stress. Any optician can administrated the test (Colourimetry)which selects the correct tint, shade, refraction etc of lense you need. I now wear green lenses and they have really helped my light sensitivity. 

However, I do agree that as we get older our ability to cope with our symptoms decreases. At least, from my personal experience.

I was at the NAS AGM at the British Museum on Saturday and said I would help in any campaign on ageing.

I was assured that we are trying to train NHS staff on ageing.

As a person with Asperger I think I could not cope very well with being in pain in my  or having difficulty moving in my old age.

I am not worried about death but the period leading up to death.

David

MadDOG4780 said:

There is a possiblity that some people might suffer other affects or their ability to control be diminished as we age. There isn't (in my exp) that much info for adults with Aspergers most of the info I have found has been aimed at parents with AS children.  

If you have found that there isn't alot of information for adults on the spectrum, then write some! No one could possibly know better than you what it is like being in your possition.

Write down the things that cause you problems and way you work around them, just a suggestion.

Also regards to the maturity and age theory, I watched something on TV once that rang true, and that was we all have our own individual maturity levels which are nothing to do with age. We feel like we are at a certain 'age' and dont seem to grow out of it for quite some time. I felt like a was 12 for years, I'd now say I've matured to  around 20 ish. I'm actually 30 (and i got asked for ID in Morrisons a few weeks ago lol) :)

I always assumed it got easier, most people learn enough social skills to cope or discover ways of living that are acceptable by the time they are about 25-30.

For me I like the way I am , I have realised I dont like parties or having lots of friends so it doesnt bother me now. I know other people find me odd but I suppose I am odd so thats fine.

I understand how autism can be a huge problem for children as they are constantly forced into large social groups and subjected to huge peer pressure and picked on, but as an adult you can avoid those situations and choose to do things you want to do.

I think there is also an aspect here of an expectation that everyone else obviously feels different :)

im 30, a mum of 2, an established career woman, a car driver etc etc... yet everytime without fail when i buy alchohol i expect them to ask me for ID lol (i might add they dont!)

Im not sure that we ever *feel* the right age.. emotionally, physically, mentally.. we are all unique and develop at our own rate! :)

You are you.. and that is just the way your meant to be :)

Interesting question, I have been wondering the same thing myself.  Same pattern as Muckworm; hard time as teenager, improvement 20's though I would describe myself as being very emotionally immature, up till about 35 I was coping but after that things have gone rapidly downhill (I'm 41 now).  I don't know whether it because of getting older or higher levels of stress, moving to a large city where there is a lot of noise and sounds that bother me.  Anyway it's definitely getting worse and I have also been raging a lot in public, today I also raged at a supermarket security guard.  i definitely need to avoid public transport.

I was diagnosed with having some sort of neurological disorder at 8 years. Follow that at 17 I was officially diagnosed with Aspergers/ADHD after a rage caused my expulsion from the first secondary school I attended. I found rages and mood swings got worse through my teens to early 20's. As did my sensitivity to light, sound and touch. I managed to learn to control the rages and moods and cope with the other aspects of the condition.

I'm 32 now and the last three years I've been slowly losing the ability to control myself. After a spectacular run in with a supermarket security officer. I've been sign off work and have two mental health workers visit me every week. My sensitivity to light, sound and touch has returned. And I try not to leave the house for fear of raging.

There is a possiblity that some people might suffer other affects or their ability to control be diminished as we age. There isn't (in my exp) that much info for adults with Aspergers most of the info I have found has been aimed at parents with AS children.  

Personally I hope that it doesn't get worse with age. Or that this is some sort of phase as (barring serious illness/disease or acidental death) I'm not sure I can cope with another 50 years of this.