According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), autism spectrum disorder can occur at any and all ages, and to individuals from any racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups. The condition is typically characterized by social, behavioral and communication struggles due to neurodevelopmental deficits. While diagnoses of severe forms of autism can be achieved in the first two years of a child’s life, high-functioning autism may not be diagnosed until much later in life. To understand the negative impact of ASD on adult life and the consequent significance of early intervention, we must first understand how it manifests in adults.
What Autism in Adults Looks Like
It has been discovered that autism spectrum disorder does not manifest in everyone in the same way. There are not only differences in levels of severity of the condition in each individual; there can also be variations in signs and symptoms associated with ASD for each person. Adults with high functioning autism may struggle with relatively mild symptoms, for example, which are oftentimes mistaken for symptoms of ADHD (attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder) like restlessness. Those with more severe forms of autism spectrum disorder may have deficits that interrupt daily life activities, for instance impaired verbal communication or difficulties in processing feelings and emotions.
General symptoms of Autism in adults
Some of the basic signs and symptoms in adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder comprise of the following:
- Exhibiting strong, nearly obsessive passions and interests
- Inflection that does not reflect feelings
- Tendency to engage in repetitive behaviors
- Participation in a highly restricted range of activities
- Strict adherence to daily routines, with outbursts and tantrums if any changes occur
- Problems with interpreting their own or others’ thoughts and/or feelings
- Struggling to interpret facial expressions, body language and/ or social cues
- Difficulties in the regulation of emotions
- Finding it hard to keep up a conversation, including deficits in social interaction and difficulties in the maintaining of the natural back-and-forth nature of conversing- they may be more prone to monologues when it comes to a topic they are passionate about.
Signs to look out for at home
It is possible that Autism Spectrum Disorder is detected in adults by noticing basic tendencies and common reactions of those around them. Lack of awareness towards the condition and what it means for those carrying it with them well into adulthood implies that these individuals are treated as weak minded and of poor disposition. This, instead of having an empathetic atmosphere built around them, and consequently receiving proper diagnoses and treatments.
Some indications one can look out for to identify a possibly autistic adult can include the following:
- Expressions and/or proverbs, for example “Crying over spilt milk,” “To look a gift horse in the mouth,” or “by the skin of their teeth” may confuse them, as they may take them literally.
- They may often invent their own words and expressions to describe things, for lack of commonly used vocabulary.
- Family members may casually refer to them as “eccentric”. For example, they may playfully call them the “eccentric professor” of the family, even if they do not work in an academic field.
- They have always wanted a best friend, but found themselves unable to establish and/or maintain deep friendships.
- They may find it difficult to understand their own feelings and emotions, or those of others. In fact, it may even baffle them, as if coming across something that is a uncommon or a freak of nature.
- They may follow an exact schedule every day of the week, having a distaste for unexpected or unpredictable events that may disrupt their routine.
- They may across as clumsy, for it may be usual for them to bump into things and tripping over their own feet.
- In their leisure time, they prefer to play games and sports that only involve individual participation instead of collaborative activities as a group or team working towards the same objective, like golf or crossword puzzles.
- They may have a collection of figurines, which strictly must be in the same, exact order at all times.
- Even when they are in a quiet place- like the library or during an academic exam- they may find themselves making involuntary noises, such as deliberate coughing over and again.
Signs to look out for in the work environment
There may be some indications that one can look out for at work, so as to identify an individual with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This is because it is not a condition that selects and singles out certain situations or environments. Signs and symptoms related to the disorder can affect any and every sphere of life, in ways that include the following:
- Each item on their desk has its own specified place and position, having a strong distaste for them being shifted from their allocated space regardless of the reason.
- They may come across as speaking in a robotic tone.
- During a conversation with their superior, they may prefer to look anywhere but directly into their eyes. They may also be unable to gauge whether their superiors are pleased or displeased with them and their performance, as they may be unable to process what the tone and expressions of others are supposed to imply.
- They lack awareness of the principles and expectations of office conversations, as one may find them talking to their co-workers just like they talk to their family and friends.
- They may be found making involuntary noises during meetings, for example constantly clearing their throat.
Importance of Early Intervention
Being unable to cope with common facets of everyday life when they are at a point of existence when so much is expected of them adds stress to an individual who already has a lot on their plate. This can also result in them being exposed to traumatic life events, which can further stunt their daily functioning. This highlights the great significance of early intervention for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, along with the need to spread awareness about the condition. That is where inclusion centers come in. The promotion of knowledge on ASD and employing EIBI techniques, as carried out by organizations like Small Steps Big Dreams in Dubai, UAE, may help reduce the stress of the disorder having marked negative effects on one’s adult life.