You have expressed this aspect really well (in my opinion).......

Dawn said:

Basically, you learn to disguise them until you can't.

However, you have rather understated the reality for some of us with your use of the phrase "pop up" in this part..........

Dawn said:

to answer your question, no traits do not lessen with age, but they can become more hidden with age...and then pop up again.

Please forgive the rather graphic imagery I am about to invoke........but in my personal experience, it wasn't a "pop up again" sensation, it was more akin to a bloated dead whale finally exploding whilst being repeatedly hit by lightening and heavy artillery fire!!

Forgive me Dawn, it is absolutely not my intention to criticise what you have written - I am sure you are right in the majority of cases, I just wanted to clarify for any others who come across this thread in the future and who are at risk of, or who have experienced, my more visceral manifestation/realisation of autism later in life.

Finally, for the record Dawn, I really value reading your contributions on these pages - your wisdom shines!

In order to be diagnosed with ASD, you would have to demonstrate significant deficits in social communication, social interaction and social imagination (obsessive and repetitive behaviours). Traits can change over time, however the ADOS test will investigate how you are impacted by autism today, meaning that you must provide sufficient evidence 

I too find that my sensitivity levels increase with stress levels. So maybe it is related to whether our current situation is stressful as opposed to age.

Welcome to the tribe, I think traits can change with age and how you are feeling at certain times. If stressed, some of my traits become more pronounced. I’m finding that sense of smell and hearing has gone off the scale. Hearing is not just the sound level, it’s often too many noises coming in at once. Fully understand your issue with touch, even my poor wife has to ask before touching me. A few months ago, someone came up from behind me and put their hands on my shoulders, they won’t be doing it again!

I thought this for the longest of times, I thought well I got the diagnosis in the 90's which was like the dark ages as far as autism diagnoses went. And also because I knew a kid who is on the spectrum becomes an adult who is on the spectrum and there is no "growing out of it", so I never understood why I seemed to generally "get better" as I got older until I realised I had actually been developing stronger ways of masking over the decades.
But it wasn't really coping in the truest sense because it was just squashing how I feel deep down and further until I would have a melt down and then start the cycle all over again.
Now I try to be more open so I don't have to mask as much around people I can trust more, and only put on the mask again when I feel more vulnerable around newer people I need to build that trust with first.

So you are not alone if you think you are losing traits or their intensity as you age, because that seems to be quite common actually and it's just because of the ways we consiously or subconsiously learn to adapt to try make it easier to interact with the non autistic world.

of course I’m still not sure if I’m autistic or not, but I don’t do certain things i mentioned anymore, like eating with same fork every day. ( though I still eat with the same plate and the same food). Could that be masking?  But I have decided to book the appointment to get tested, I’m just trying to find the right psychologist for it!

I have decided to go forward with the testing. I’m currently looking for a psychologist with experience with autism where I live ( that accepts my health insurance preferably) to get it done. 

I found that I masked brilliantly, as a kid, but lost the facade; growing up. 

From what you've said it definitly sounds like you could be autistic. The traits you've mentioned are very autism related traits. If you feel a a diagnosis would benefit you, I'd definitly recommend going forward with an assessment.

As for the sense of smell, it does decline with age. That's why children, in general hate Brussels sprouts and cabbage, where adults tend to find them bearable, if not always pleasant.

Sounds like a good plan, to get assessed.

The sensitivities are certainly less intense now than when I was a child. I would not even be able to enter certain places like restaurants without throwing up. Now I just find the smell unpleasant. But still, I’m so curious to find out if I’m autistic or not ( I have been thinking about for days)that I’m get tested with a psychologist as soon as I can! 

I don’t think anything gets less as you get older, you just learn to adapt (mask) over them. You know. You might force yourself or try to eat the meal given to you by your parents for example, but you might avoid making that dish for yourself now. 

Also, we are often misdiagnosed with things which resemble other conditions, because the ASD is overlooked. But of course, you could have those things anyway….

If you feel you are Autistic, and yes, you sound it! Then you could just book a consultation to discuss whether you should be assessed. That might be enough for you if they agree with you. Or you might then want to be formally assessed.

I score abt 32 to 39 in the AQ 50 depending on the day if that helps. I manage social, although not sensory situations, differently but relatively well. I do like people but relate differently.

No substitute for a formal assessment though, which is what you'd need to truely know

Oh boy certainly sounds like you are one of us. Woo wooo! Well done on the identification - not that we can give you a diagnosis of course..

...but err yeah, to answer your question, no traits do not lessen with age, but they can become more hidden with age...and then pop up again. Basically, you learn to disguise them until you can't.

We learn to mask, pretend to be "normal", appear less autistic ...but that only actually damages us and we never are neurotypical, because we can't be.

Other sensitivities change over time...a roast dinner made me vomit in my youth, but I can just about tolerate that now.

But good news is, grab ahold of your autistic identity and you can be a healthy happy autistic person, not a failed neurotypical person. Welcome

I think that everyone changes as they get older and this can affect what are considered autism traits, much as they affect many other traits. On the evidence of your traits, as you describe them, you seem more typically autistic than me, and I was told I would be diagnosed only 15 minutes into my assessment. However, your test scores are lower than mine (AQ50 - 37, RAADS-R 167) except for the EQ which is the same (23).

All autistics are different, and you seem, on balance, to be most likely on the spectrum.

ps: 

My online test results are:

110 on RAADS-R, 32 on AQ and 23 on EQ. Does that mean anything? Should I look into it?