Do you look younger than your age?

I used to have a problem with men hitting on me and then I'd realize they thought I was under 18 and I was super creeped out. Now I have a ring on my finger I get approached less so its not as much of a problem! 

Got IDd buying alcohol at the supermarket (favour for a friend, I don't drink). I'm more than double than legal drinking age.

Uploaded photos to a FB group and asked how old I looked. Consensus was 14-16.

I need to get on hormones or I'm going to go straight from being interpreted as a child to interpreted as elderly with no adulthood in between.

Looking younger than my age is a good thing but it also has a d to it. I like it but at the same time, o might think I am 15 and so instead of getting a chance to look for a connection with new people you meet they really think you are a kid. That's a struggle sometime.

I'm 33, people still think I'm 25ish. I have a clearly autistic friend, she is 22, but she really looks like 15. 

I'm starting to think you might be right.

At age 52, I still get told by everyone that I look 35 - could work well if I started gay dating and/or went out on the gay scene, as an older Irish gay man with Autism - and even though I’ve lived in Manchester U.K. 21 years, I still have a very strong, polite yet clear Irish accent, as I still consider Ireland as my real home and have a lot of family and other connections with my beloved homeland 

 I have started forming a therory about this myself, because my nan who I now strongly suspect was autistic also looked younger than she was (even though she smoked too).
I think it has to do with the gene or set of genes that can cause the co-occuring condition of Ehlers-Danlos, because I am also slightly "double jointed" but not to the point of having Ehlers-Danlos proper, because I have
"

There are several types of EDS that may share some symptoms.

These include:

• an increased range of joint movement (joint hypermobility)
• stretchy skin
• fragile skin that breaks or bruises easily " https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ehlers-danlos-syndromes/
  
  
  

but I don't suffer any of the negative effects listed below that part of the NHS article, only those 3 characteristics.
It's led me to believe I carry a gene or set of genes for the occurance of ehlers-danlos-syndrome but either they are not fully activated or only some of the contributing genes for it are active/ if present at all, in me because of my own gene regulation. https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/howgeneswork/geneonoff/

I think a lot of us autistic people are existing on a linear grade chart of things like Ehlers-Danlos where we are so minimally affected our doctors are just not diagnosing us with it.

In fact the NHS article even suggests this to be the case, you wouldn't get diagnosed unless you experience the really troublesome symptoms of it

""""""Getting medical advice

See a GP if you have several troublesome symptoms of EDS.

You do not usually need to worry if you only have a few symptoms and they're not causing any problems.

Joint hypermobility, for example, is relatively common, affecting around 1 in 30 people. It's unlikely to be caused by EDS if you do not have any other symptoms."""""

And this is relevant because it is also said that folk with Ehlers also look younger than they are, and it is something to do with the collagen in the skin.

Yes I do. It's collagen related. 

I dont, because i have been tired all my life. But i dont act my age. I took a call once and the oerson calling asked if he could speak to one of mynpatents, because i sounded so young. Sometimes, itill feel lije a little girl. Im 59

I am not sure if it is related to Autism. But Yes, I look younger than my age. People think I am still in high school and I get asked if I am over 18 in the cinemas.

Interesting question. 

My neurospicy buddies and I do collectively appear 5 or 10 years younger than our ages. This is despite sun exposure, hair or weight, place of birth, diet, vices and some other factors. 

Curious.

I think so yes. Mum used to say I didn't look my age and I've heard a few other people say that as well so I guess so.

I looked in the mirror the other day actually and noticed I've changed a lot, look more grown up than I thought I did. So maybe my looking younger is only seen by other people to me I look like I'm growing up. I like it. Makes me feel more adult and wise :o) 

I definitely think the way I dress has an impact on this- I dress 'alternative' and people associate that so strongly with teenagers that they automatically assume I'm a lot younger than I am.

Ah yes......for some reason, I also often seem to adopt the masking persona of a late 19th century Master Craftsman....calling eveybody sir and madam.....I do know that I very often sound like a t wat, but it is what comes naturally !!!!  ...and yes, I do know what that implies about myself !  If this persona doesn't bubble up, then I am often left with either hilarious outrageous clown or low-level cockney or Eastern European gansta .. neither of which I am.

The really interesting thing (for me) is that when I meet with one of my very few "REAL" friends, we often don't even bother verbally greeting each other and often hang out for a few minutes in the same space before either of us talk.  If you were watching us, you would presume we didn't know each other.

I'm a very odd fish !

Haha that's exactly it. This was all well before my diagnosis so I didn't really understand have the language to describe how I felt other than 'nervous'.

I would try my best not to appear that way by conjuring up what I imagined to be the most adult way of getting attention, which obviously just instantly made me stand out. 'Excuse me, good sir, could you just approve this alcohol purchase I'm trying to transact'

Surprised autistic said:

(for example) because I always looked nervous because of the potential interaction, which made it look like I was up to something. 

Yes....I have the same problem but for a different perception.  I don't get perceived as looking nervous, but as a shady looking hitman or something to be wary of (because I'm never quite sure how to approach a new potential interaction.)  When I then start to act like a clown in an effort to lessen their suspicion of me, I look more like a mental crazy hitman and/or escaped patient who must certainly be up to something......if I then start talking rationally with long words and complex sentence structures, my goose can be really cooked !  I look old.  I am old.  For the record, I'm not shady !

I do wonder if it's not partly how we dress/act that makes people think this. As a generally nervous, awkward person I think I was always ID'd for drink (for example) because I always looked nervous because of the potential interaction, which made it look like I was up to something. 

I think it also maybe applies to appearance as well. I have never cared one bit about my external appearance, clothes or anything. Being totally honest I didn't really understand you were meant to regularly shower and wash your clothes until people pointed it out to me repeatedly as an adult. Now I make sure everything is always clean but other than that I'm exactly as I always was and I think that makes me look 'younger' as as a 40 odd year old I should probably be having a proper hair cut and bothering to shave. 

Yeah this is 100% me. I was still getting ID'd for buying alcohol into my early thirties. I then became a father to two kids and have probably aged 15 years in the past 6. I don't get ID'd any more for sure. 

Yes I'm one of those younger than I look people and I'm sure this is part of autism as so many people seem to be the same as well. I'm 26 but most people think I should be at school because I still look it. I like it sometimes but at times it can be annoying especially as everyone feels they still need to mother me and don't treat me like an adult.

Yes, I was stood outside a shop for a while trying to remember what else I had to do that day when a mum in a 4x4 stopped a few feet  away and picked up her (approx 18-20 year old) kids, she looked at me and asked if my parents were coming to pick me up too (I think she was alluding to she would have offered me a lift if I was stuck) I laughed and politely said no I'm alright, I'm just stood here getting my bearings, and I am the parent. She smiled and said oh alright and drove off.
So estimating from that event I only look about 2/3 of my actual age.

This is something I wondered about too! I'm 35 this year and still get told I look about 19. When I was 18 someone said I looked about 12 and I remember being devastated for months over it.

It's a difficult thing sometimes because I get told that I should enjoy it but honestly I get quite sick of being treated like a child by people and being dismissed as inexperienced. It's hard when I have to present my research findings to other professionals and I can tell they think I'm a young, inexperienced student. It's hard enough being taken seriously as a female without looking like a little girl too .

Our laboratory roof was leaking the other day and when I asked the maintenance staff to take a look the gentleman said "I think it's just condensation little lady" and patted me on the head. That would not have happened if I looked my age! A few days later the stormy weather was pouring through our ceiling .

Maybe it is related to ASD/C. But I always wonder how I can look young when I suffer from chronic stress, which is supposed to be aging.