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Age1600
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23 Aug 2007, 12:48 pm

I was extremely autistic when I was growing up, no eye contact, temper tantrums galore, run and hid when anybody came over, when talked to would not respond, non-verbal until the age of about 5, couldn't be touched would freak out, bad sensory overloads had to wear headphones wherever I went, and meltdowns galore and etc.. Now I'm better on the eye contact thing, no temper tantrums, I actually better at socializing, and I actually can chit chat sometimes, my speech is soo much better but still have problems talking, can be touched without freaking out, can control most sensory overloads and meltdowns aren't as severe or a big thing as they were before. What I'm trying to say is that when I told one of my therapist friends I had autism, she told me she can't even tell anything is wrong with me and that she thinks I probably outgrew a lot of it, meaning I learned to adapt, where my autism doesn't show as much as it did when I was growing up. Does anybody else feel like this, that they outgrew a lot of their autism?



Macbeth
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23 Aug 2007, 1:03 pm

I think its likely that a lot of the symptoms of autism are ameliorated some by aging. Its not so much that we outgrow it, but that we develop coping strategies, and gain more control over our lives and environment as we age. (IE if we hate orange, chances are when we are older there wont be a lot of orange in our home, but as a child, we are stuck with it whether we like it or not.) I imagine that hormonal balancing plays a part as well.


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Todd489
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23 Aug 2007, 1:18 pm

I feel exactly the same way. I feel a lot more "in control" now. My symptoms are all still there, but I realize that they are socially unacceptable and should be hidden. I've gotten very good at hiding them, and most people would never guess I had AS.



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23 Aug 2007, 1:33 pm

I don't think you ever really outgrow it. At least for me, it's more a matter of learning to cope and put up a front that mimics what people expect.



KimJ
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23 Aug 2007, 2:16 pm

My husband seems to have "outgrown" it, at least the disability angle. He had all of the developmental delays and had trouble in school until he was a teen. Then "snapped out". He self-tests as an aspie/autistic but has no social skills deficits. His sensory issues are very manageable.
I had no developmental delays but am much more aspie-ish. I have a much harder time with transitions which contributes to my lack of change and flexibility.



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23 Aug 2007, 3:35 pm

I guess that we all just LEARN to blend in with all the NORMAL people ! ! :)



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23 Aug 2007, 5:58 pm

Ya, i was rough to, then i got better around 10-11, became mainstreamed, and while school was still rough, i got better with the social thing, i feel often i wear a mask, i repress stuff to be socailly acceptible. I am seen as odd, uneque still, i cant hide whatever it is im doin, and dont plan on it, ppl would not beleive me if i told them what my problem was as a kid.


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23 Aug 2007, 6:31 pm

I have videos of myself from when I was age 10 and under.
I could see in myself on the video that the autistic traits were a lot more prominent than they are now.
I never used to give eye contact at all, used to stack things all of the time like cans of food etc, used to like climbing into small places, self-stimulation I saw was hand flapping and rocking.
My Mother told me when I was younger that I was a lot worse than I am now. She said that I used to never want to go into supermarkets because, I quote " the beeping is too loud". Probably the beeping from the food scanner thing that the cashier uses, I forgot what it is called. She said that I used to hate bits of cotton dangling from my clothing and if I saw one I would gag. She said meal time was always a hassle as I would always eat seperate dinners because I was extremely fussy. And she said that I used to repeat words consistantly.

But I feel like now, that I am learning how to act around others. My eye contact is still bad, but I can go into supermarkets now, and most of the time I don't get sensory overload which is good for me.


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23 Aug 2007, 6:45 pm

We are never cured of AS, we just learn to deal with it better.

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marshall
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23 Aug 2007, 9:23 pm

I also outgrew the sensory problems. I'm not nearly as sensitive as an adult as I was as a child. My anger isn't as intense and I dont' get as bothered by things, but on the flip side I have less energy, less drive, and I'm more often depressed as an adult.

I think some of it is developmental, so as you mature the symptoms get better. I was always immature for my age growing up, but as an adult I feel like I've caught up a bit.



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24 Aug 2007, 8:53 am

I think it is just called growing up. I don't think I'm anywhere near as bad as I used to be. Now, it's a matter of learning some skills, such as driving, that will help me in other areas.



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24 Aug 2007, 9:41 am

I agree with all of the above. I also feel that, as one becomes an adult and functions among adults, one is in a generally more accepting and wide-minded social world and so bullying all but disappears and socialization for those who might be a bit different becomes more productive.

This started around my sophomore year of college for me.



Prudence
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24 Aug 2007, 10:59 am

Age1600 wrote:
Does anybody else feel like this, that they outgrew a lot of their autism?


YES, but I also do not think this is possible. I'm rather torn on the matter.



Kittygirl
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25 Aug 2007, 7:31 pm

Autism is a congenital (present at birth) disorder but many of the symptoms can be overcome with appropriate therapies. When I was younger I used to have very severe tactile involvement and frequent tantrums, but now I am better except for panic attacks and bouts with depression.



MeshGearFox
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26 Aug 2007, 12:57 pm

No, you do not outgrow autism. You learn to deal with it better as time passes. It's a matter of consciousness and habit. I'm a little jealous of dem youngsters who are diagnosed early and learn coping skills to limit the damage. Although I'm better at dealing with it, I obviously cannot undo 40 years of confusion and trauma. And lately, I'm trying not to "regress" and lose some of the progress I made over the past year. But an increase in anxiety and depression has been causing me to lapse into speechlessness and withdrawal. That's been my survival mechanism for so long; it's sometimes a struggle to deal otherwise.



Callista
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26 Aug 2007, 2:28 pm

It can happen. Not really that you're not autistic anymore; but that you've learned to compensate, learned NT behaviors, learned to communicate on their wavelength.

Technically, you'd have "outgrown" autism, since you're no longer diagnosable with it. But I would say the basic neurology hasn't changed much; and you're still on the Spectrum--it's just that autism no longer hinders you; that you can now act like an NT, and be comfortable doing so, if you wish.

Kind of like an ADHD child who grows up and learns to slow down and organize themselves... They'll still have that ADHD "spark", the creativity that makes ADHD a gift despite the problems it causes.

Also, I submit that many Aspies would be able to recognize someone who had 'grown out of' autism--the way the person thinks and reacts... There's always that "something" that seems familiar, even if they make eye contact and socialize. Some kind of "geek aura", maybe. :)


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