What are the symptoms of autistic adults (18 plus)?

Question

My boy is lost, that is what it seems. Non-responsive to life's basics for a good citizen. We suspect something wrong and it occurs to me he might be an autistic adult.

Answer 1

For an autism diagnosis, you need to have the following issues:

* A qualitative impairment in social interaction including:

#marked impairment in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate social interaction.

# failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level.

Qualitative impairments in communication as manifested by at least one of the following:

# delay in, or total lack of, the development of spoken language (not accompanied by an attempt to compensate through alternative modes of communication such as gesture or mime)

# in individuals with adequate speech, marked impairment in the ability to initiate or sustain a conversation with others

# stereotyped and repetitive use of language or idiosyncratic language.

   3.    Restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:

#encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus

# apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals

# stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g., hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole body movements)

#persistent preoccupation with parts of objects

Delays or abnormal functioning in at least one of the following areas, with onset prior to age 3 years: (1) social interaction, (2) language as used in social communication, or (3) symbolic or imaginative play.

Do not attempt to diagnose your son yourself. As you can see, one of the requirements for an autism diagnosis is signs and symptoms before age 3. If this is not the case, this may be something else.

As far as Asperger's is concerned, you haven't given us enough information to help you. What leads me to believe this is not Asperger's is that these people rarely appear lost. They have strong interests in particular subjects.

If you can afford it, take you son to a psychiatrist or neurologist to assist you in making a diagnosis. There are other disorders that appear in young adulthood, such as schizophrenia.

Answer 2

It is possible-maybe Apergers-a form of autism-many adults have gone through life without a diagnosis-as doctors and the public are becoming more educated-it is just now being diagnosed.

This is soemthing he would've developed recently-there would be subtle signs looking back

Most people with Autism have difficulty with socail skills/interacting-they just don't get the subtle interaction cues-

It could also be something like depression or other neurological imbalance-I would suggest seeking teh advice of a neurologist-and not just rely on the opinion of a general doctor