Getting older with Aspergers

I can certainly relate to this so much. I too am in my 50s and appear to be getting more autistic as I age.

• My masks are broken.
• My sensory sensitivities have become significantly worse.
• I wake up in an incredibly anxious state every single day.
• I can meltdown at the slightest trigger and far more frequently than I ever did before.
• Life has become overwhelming and I don't seem to be able to do things that I previously could.
• I am increasingly losing the ability to speak.
• Executive function has vanished.
• Memory is shot to pieces and I have to have lists everywhere.
• I seem to spend endless days trying very hard but achieving very little.

I have read that autistic burnout can affect us differently as we get older. We become increasingly less able to recover completely and regain what we were able to do before. Autistic regression is a term usually used in relation to children but I believe it can happen to autistic adults later in life too.

The symptoms of autistic burnout listed in this article https://theautisticadvocate.com/2018/05/an-autistic-burnout/ include:

• A growing lethargy
• An increase in irritability
• An increase in anxiety
• An increase in over-sensitivity to sensory information
• A dramatic decrease in sensitivity to sensory information
• Heightened Auditory processing disorder
• A decrease in verbal language
• A decrease in text language
• An increase in Shutdowns and heightened withdrawn state
• An increase in the frequency and severity of Meltdowns
• A diminished ability for the person to self-regulate their emotional state
• The slowing down of the thought processes
• Brain fog
• Memory loss 
• A decrease in your ability to effectively communicate what you want 
• A decrease in motivation
• An inability to generate momentum of body and of action
• An increase of rigidity, narrowing of thinking
• A feeling like your vision is tighter or narrower
• Extreme forgetfulness
• Extreme overwhelm
• A massive increase in guilt
• An increase in Executive Dysfunction
• An increase in Demand Avoidance

I'm sure many of us can identify with so much on that list.

I can certainly relate to this so much. I too am in my 50s and appear to be getting more autistic as I age.

• My masks are broken.
• My sensory sensitivities have become significantly worse.
• I wake up in an incredibly anxious state every single day.
• I can meltdown at the slightest trigger and far more frequently than I ever did before.
• Life has become overwhelming and I don't seem to be able to do things that I previously could.
• I am increasingly losing the ability to speak.
• Executive function has vanished.
• Memory is shot to pieces and I have to have lists everywhere.
• I seem to spend endless days trying very hard but achieving very little.

I have read that autistic burnout can affect us differently as we get older. We become increasingly less able to recover completely and regain what we were able to do before. Autistic regression is a term usually used in relation to children but I believe it can happen to autistic adults later in life too.

The symptoms of autistic burnout listed in this article https://theautisticadvocate.com/2018/05/an-autistic-burnout/ include:

• A growing lethargy
• An increase in irritability
• An increase in anxiety
• An increase in over-sensitivity to sensory information
• A dramatic decrease in sensitivity to sensory information
• Heightened Auditory processing disorder
• A decrease in verbal language
• A decrease in text language
• An increase in Shutdowns and heightened withdrawn state
• An increase in the frequency and severity of Meltdowns
• A diminished ability for the person to self-regulate their emotional state
• The slowing down of the thought processes
• Brain fog
• Memory loss 
• A decrease in your ability to effectively communicate what you want 
• A decrease in motivation
• An inability to generate momentum of body and of action
• An increase of rigidity, narrowing of thinking
• A feeling like your vision is tighter or narrower
• Extreme forgetfulness
• Extreme overwhelm
• A massive increase in guilt
• An increase in Executive Dysfunction
• An increase in Demand Avoidance

I'm sure many of us can identify with so much on that list.