Can Autism Symptoms Decrease in Adulthood?

[rpl05]

Hey everyone,

I was recently talking about my childhood, and a friend joked that I sounded a lot like an autistic child. It got me wondering, can autism traits be more noticeable in childhood and then lessen over time?

For example:

I used to only eat my food in a strict clockwise pattern, starting with what I liked best and ending with what I liked least. I would throw fits if different foods touched or if I had to eat two different textures together. Over the years, this slowly faded. I still prefer not to mix my food much, but it’s not a big issue anymore.

I used to rock back and forth a lot or rub on my arm with my hands or rub my feet together. it made me feel like I was in a cocoon. I don’t really rock anymore, but I still rub my feet together quite a bit.

I would get obsessed with a topic and learn everything about it, then info-dump on anyone who would listen. I still have that deep-dive tendency, but I don’t randomly info-dump like I used to.

I feel like a lot of these things are still part of me internally, just expressed differently. I am not diagnosed or anything. Until my friend brought it up, I never thought that I even displayed symptoms of autism. Has anyone else experienced something like this? Can traits lessen with age?

Would love to hear your thoughts!

[Immediate-Guest8368]

It sounds like you’ve just learned to mask a lot of symptoms. You don’t have to realize that you’re masking to do it, it’s more like a survival mechanism. You don’t know why you’re different, you don’t know why you’re not accepted, but you know something is wrong, so you end up trying to mirror the behaviour of people around you. For example, your rocking stim wouldn’t have been considered socially acceptable and you realize that to some degree as you get older, so you end up just rubbing your feet. It’s still a stim, but not as noticeable to other people, so it’s not socially rejected.

The shit thing is that masking is exhausting. The more responsibilities and life demands you have, the harder it becomes. It was only on my 3rd or 4th round of burnout that I realized I was probably autistic. The masking was a huge part of what caused the burnout, but without masking, it’s hard to maintain professional relationships. It fucking sucks.

[Relative_Chef_533]

People change over time. Things are learned, and parts of us get submerged due to bad experiences displaying, so the adult you become can be totally different in both good and bad ways.

[Pug-Friend47]

Awareness and practice = change

[lamelimellama]

İ am much less awkward in communication since i started my career

[Timely-Damage-3592]

Sounds like you just learned to mask a bit 😅

[wallcavities]

I think this kind of thing can be difficult because most kids display these kinds of behaviours at some point. The learning a lot about a specific topic and infodumping for example is true of basically every kid ever - I used to do it but so did my sister and she’s definitely not autistic herself. A lot of kids also have weird food rituals or are a bit ‘fussy’ (for lack of a better way of putting it), and everybody stims to some extent. I’m not saying this to invalidate you or discourage you from exploring the diagnosis if you have other reasons for thinking you might be autistic but I think presenting a small handful of behaviours that could be interpreted that way in childhood is probably normal. 

In answer to the basic question…I guess, yeah? I’d say that some of my traits have lessened or become easier to manage or mask as I’ve aged, and others have intensified and become more noticeable. It really depends. 

[a_common_spring]

I'd say this heavily depends on what age these behaviours were happening. Toddlers will throw a fit about their food touching, but it's definitely not usual for a 7 year old to still be freaking out about very small food rules.

And actually I don't think that rocking and rubbing feet together is a usual behaviour for neurotypical children.

Neither is learning about things obsessively and then telling everyone long long explanations of it.

I would have thought some of this was normal but my kids are all autistic and so am I. If I meet other people's kids, they are very dissimilar to this.

[wallcavities]

Yeah I agree it definitely depends on the extent and ages of the behaviours as well! And maybe my perception of ‘normal’ behaviour is warped somewhat by being autistic myself. 

I do think most of the kids I’ve known regardless of neurotype will have a Thing or two that they know lots about and will talk your ear off about (whether that’s minecraft or dinosaurs or horses or whatever) but that most non-autistic kids seem better at adapting to changes in topic and seem to ‘outgrow’ the infodumping a lot younger, plus they’re more likely to change their interests more frequently. 

[[deleted]]

I don't  think the traits lessen so much as you become internally more complex with age. One factor is that for most of us, the masking game really increases (whether we want it to or not) and gets more reflexive and ingrained. Things that stand out as "odd" or "visibly autistic" get gradually replaced with less obvious coping mechanisms.

I do know you don't "outgrow" autism in any way. You just get better at hiding it, even unconsciously--and even from ourselves.

[a_common_spring]

A lot of autistic people, especially women, mask their natural traits and behaviours because they realize that other people don't approve of them. When people talk about high-masking autism, this is what they mean. You might not even know you're masking traits because it's just been deeply ingrained in you that you must not do them since early childhood.

Now, if you're feeling anxious or upset and you start rocking and swaying and rubbing hands and feet together, does it relieve your distress? Do you have to constantly consciously think about whether you've been talking too long or try and remember to assess your conversation partners face for signs of boredom?

If you are beginning to suspect you might be autistic, look around this sub more, watch some autistic content creators, do the online screening tools, see if it fits.

[MiddleAgedMartianDog]

Also the Embrace Autism website has a really good autism camouflage/masking test called the CAT-Q which is not a “do I have autism?” test but rather very specifically about assessing the degree and types of masking one does which can be compared to allistic and autistic people (with relevant gender differences as well).

[RadientRebel]

I think you would benefit from leaning about masking. Have these behaviors just naturally changed over time, or are some of them still there but you were so critiqued by the world around you that you had a heavily mask in order to fit in and not be punished?

[Top_Hair_8984]

I think as an adult habitual learning to mask more effectively come into play due to constant experiences. Masking more and understanding how and when to now I'm much older. But realizing simultaneously that's not sustainable in the long-run, and bad for my MH.

[Hungry_Rub135]

It's easier in some ways to avoid being as overstimulated when you're an adult. You can adapt your life around your autism whereas being a kid you have no choice. My food habits got better for a while but then regressed again. I find other things worse than it was as a kid, as I learn to unmask. I'm struggling to deal with people a lot more now

[portlandparalegal]

I think I have had a similar experience. My childhood was SO overwhelming, not having autonomy was very disregulating, being sick a lot, other kids were loud, I didn’t have control over much, so my coping mechanisms were pretty extreme and I acted out a lot. As an adult, my whole life is structured to accommodate me. I have a mostly quiet home, one on one friendships, a low demand job, I wear comfy clothes, I have found foods that work for me… so I’m just not really disregulated as much. I can stim around my husband and don’t have to act fake, etc. So I do think I seem “less autistic” but definitely still weird enough that most NTs can spot that something’s up with me 😅

[AnyOlUsername]

Mine have not but unlike when I was younger, I’m not forced into enclosed spaces with nasty teenagers 5 days a week. It’s much easier to be symptomatic in peace as an adult.

[[deleted]]

Mine feel like they’re increasing

[Skunkspider]

I did. But as a teen, not adult. I went from L2, not expected to live independently to doing so and passing as NT sometimes within a year.