I have heard of autistic children, but you never hear of autistic adults..why is that?

Question

I am a nurse and still have never heard of that, but they surely grow up to be autistic adults? I ask because I am working temp at post office and a person there had some sort of anti-social personality and I started to wonder about if he could have autism (he is rude and yells at people who try to help him or ask him a question)...

Answer 1

I heard that don't live that long! But idk

Answer 2

there are austic adults i have worked with them for some reason autism rates have exploded recently so there are many more austistic childen is this cause of enviornment better diagnosis ability certain vaccines idk maybe some combination of factors

Answer 3

I'm an autistic adult, with 2 autistic children. The recent explosion in Autism is because the spectrum is huge, and children who have quirks are more likely to seen instead of ignored. Even with the statistics as high as they are, there are still plenty of parents who refuse to see their child's problems.

When my children were diagnosed, they started therapy, like speech and occupational. My preschool aged son was placed in an integrated preschool class. Whereas I was given a piece of paper and told to have a nice day, follow up in 6 months.

When I was in school, all of my issues were blamed on my being molested at 6 years old. No one took into account that maybe being molested wasn't as traumatic for as it was my parents. I was always in therapy, but never understood why the focus was on a grown man I didn't care about. I needed help with social skills, and sensory problems (and still do).

Answer 4

They either: 1) adapt & find work to live on, 2) get SSI & they fall into the category of "disabled" when there are state & Federal budget cuts, 3) live in halfway houses or group homes, so you see them rarely.

Answer 5

Never is a big leap of misunderstanding, i dont know what they are doing with Autistic adults in your part of the world but hear in OZ they are very much a part of everyday life. I would suggest you research Autism and also anti social personality disorders more, being rude and yelling at people would not be on the descriptive charactoristics of Autism. The man you mension could just be a rude angry person that doesn't get along very well with people and not someone with a disability to explain his behavior, some people just are rude and angry, full stop. Janice

Answer 6

Children are the apple of America's eye, so they get most of the love when it comes to autism. As was mentioned before, that older autistic people are often undiagnosed, so you don't really read about them. However, they aren't cute and cuddly anymore and some are downright dangerous, so they are not the focus of American media. CARD is an association that tries to help out autistic people at any age. Check out their website.

However, we are now having autistic adults in their twenties and thirties and these folks usually go at least three different routes as adults, depending on their functioning level.

Higher functioning adults can go to college, get a job and function fairly normally in society. They are not the highest percentage, by any means.

Adults with autism usually end up living with their families or in group homes, if the family cannot deal with them or doesn't exist. The Department of Rehabilitation often provides training services for graduating autistic students. They often end up in sheltered workshops or in companies that want to assist people with disabilities.

The person that you mention could have a whole host of handicapping conditions that don't involve autism. It sounds like he has social anxiety, which could be a sign of someone on the Autism Spectrum. He also could be mentally retarded and unable to express his feelings.

If you want to know more about autism, read "Thinking in Pictures," by Dr. Temple Grandin, who is a high functioning autistic adult. It is a highly interesting read. Your local library should have it.

Answer 7

I have just started to think about this myself, and believe I have undiagnosed autism. I didn't make eye contact as a kid and still is uncomfortable, and have always been extremely shy. And then I had a daughter with Rett Syndrome, a genetic autistic disorder and I knew I probably had a little bit of it too. So I am sure there are thousands of adults walking around knowing they weren't quite right but not knowing why, who actually are autistic.

Answer 8

I've heard that autism has exploded in recent years, so it's possible that either it's rare among adults now and/or that it was previously underreported and that the less severely autistic kids at that time were just marked up as not playing well with others. By the same token, our approach to child psychology has changed drastically in the last 30 years. For better or for worse, parents and teachers are much quicker to point to psychological disorders as possible reasons for difficult behavior and more willing to have them tested (and medicated).

And whereas as a child these days he might be immediately sent to the school psychologist for screening, people seem less inclined to "exempt," so to speak, adults on account of a disorder out of their control. Adults are, as far as society is concerned, supposed to be responsible for their actions, and if they behave rudely, it's assumed to be because they're just rude. Seems like kids are too readily assumed to be disordered (=not responsible and quickly fixable with drugs) and adults too readily assumed to be jerks (=responsible and unhelpable and, sadly, often not deemed hirable). Not to mention that psychological evaluation and treatment are not as readily available to adults (especially to ones without good insurance) as to kids in school.

Then there's the problem of whether a diagnosis (if there's one to be had) would even do more good than harm.

Answer 9

Oh, didn't you know? They're all cured at 18! J/K

That's a joke we have in our autism support group, because there are hardly any services for adults when they graduate from high school. There are plenty of autistic adults, some live at home with a guardian, some function well enough to live on their own.

Twenty years ago people with autism were put into homes and not allowed into the community. Ten years ago even it was hard enough to find children, much less adults. I think as time passes we'll see more adult autists in the world. We have several adults (six or seven of about fifty people) in our group with autism. We've had recently two more guys join, in their fifties. Because there was such a negative stigma, they were taught to hide their autism their entire lives, ashamed of who they were and how their brain works.

Answer 10

maybe hes just angry, or having a bad day and doesn't care, it happens it doesn't mean at all that he suddenly needs to be listed under having some sort of disorder or disability i know nurses tend to do that but step out of your box and think about it.

My mom knows a woman who has a son who is autistic and he is about 56 or 46? i don't remember which one.

Answer 11

Well, I am not sure why you have never heard of them.  They are everywhere.  However...Autism is a more recent diagnosis so most adults with autism (autistic is not very pc at all) are actually labled developmentally disabled.  There are tons of services for them out there and they are not uncommon.  I work for a very large autism agency in the midwest and we have centers around the world.  People with autism however are not generally angry and social enough to yell at people.  So some of your other guesses might be more accurate.  Now Aspergers Syndrome is a much higher functioning diagnosis on the autism spectrum, and that sounds more like your guy.  AS is more the lack of understanding your own emotions and reading emotions in others.  He might yell if he gets frustrated, sad or tired and does not know a better way to communicate these feelings and emotions.  Or if people make jokes or become sarcastic he may not be reading thhe body language correctly or understaning the voice tones and what they mean.  Also if they are interrupting him, it might be hard for him to regain his thought process and does not know how to respond with a quick, hang on a second type of comment.  

Hope that helps, these are the people I work with EVERYDAY of my life so I know the type you are refering to.

Answer 12

Ever see Rain Man?

Answer 13

well youve heard of me? well atleast now u have.  and i have aspergers