Do aspies grow slower, age slower and live longer?

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All the males in my family tree seem to live until around 70, where the females in the family seem to live well into thier 80's. One nanna is still alive at 87 and one has just passed away at 90. Plus I had a great grandmother who lived until 99 yrs of age.

I don't know. I think it's just a family trend for me. Most of my grandparents lived into their 80s and nineties. My dad has aged very slowly. However, my mother died from cancer at 42.

I don't know about longetivity, but I'm 20 and despite the fact I'm now more built along with the other physical changes ... if you were to look at my face and try to judge my age, I look at least 2 years younger.

Also, don't know whether this has anything to do with it, but seen as the theory on stress has been brought up - I did read somewhere at sometime (I know it's wrong to be so terribly vague when making a point as loaded as this), that us aspies are more likely to develop Alzheimer's than NT's ?

Apologies if this is a completely unsubstantiated claim, I've not looked into it. But the reason I mention it is because my Great-Grandma was allegedly the youngest woman in the UK to develop Alzheimer's.

I know someone who is Autistic and he is 20 but doesn't look young for his age. He looks about 25. So looking old or young hasn't anything to do with Aspergers. Maybe it might be because we don't always have the skill and/or confidence to change ourselves from when we were teenagers to being adults. I haven't changed my hairstyle since I was about 12, and I've always had the same taste of clothes since then too. My NT friend hasn't changed herself much since she was a young teenager either, and she looked pretty young for her age now, which is 22.

Let me see, folks on my mother's side tend to live until their late 50s-early 60s (genetic heart defect and/or diabetes, and one slow suicide), but folks on my father's side tend to go 70-80 years (with a rumor of one hitting 110). I'd say my chances are 50/50 as to how long I'll make it. However, when i was 23, my roommates at college though i was 35, but given I'm 30 now, people think im 23-25 <shrug>. I'd say our lifespan is no different that others, but because our facial expressions (and usage) are different, we tend to look older/younger than our true age. Hell, I wouldnt mind looking 50 by the time im 70 (assuming i live that long ).

I apparently have good genes for longevity, but I doubt they have much to do with autism. Mom's side, without the Aspie DNA, lives longest and has a health span that is most closely in line with lifespan.

I agree with the comments on stress. My relationship with life is complicated. I love food, music and dancing, a glass of good beer or coffee, a chance to wander city streets. The smell of old books, the taste of apple cider, the weight of my leather duster, the kisses of the man I love, the and the sheen of brass all conspire to make me love life. That said, living in this world is like walking around in shoes half a size too small. The stress is constant.

I never sleep and work incessantly. My specific interest is tuba, which is the most efficient way to give one's self a bad back. It has torn up my knees and given me a bit of nerve damage in both shoulders and one of my hands along with some interesting scars. Does anyone else have a special interest they think will be the death of them? At eighteen, my face is already lined. There is a bit of gray in my hair.

Stress may shorten our lives. Some of us may self-medicate with damaging substances to deal with that. Isolation is probably unhealthy. Many of us are poor because of difficulties holding down jobs. In America, that may continue to make healthcare a problem for some time to come. Not all of our interests are good for us. We tend not to notice minor aches and pains that could signify larger problems and might send NTs to their doctors. If anything, we probably live shorter lives.

"My candle burns at both ends; It will not last the night;
But, ah, my foes and oh, my friends--
It gives a lovely light!"

-Edna St. Vincent Millay

If anything, we probably have a shorter lifespan due to the stresses that the general population of people seem to enjoy putting us through.

I don't know about aspies, but both sides of my family age very well (my parents look almost 10 years younger than they really are) and live relatively long lives (80s to 90s). I'm 20, going on 21, and people still think I look more like I'm 15 or 16 (but that might be in part because I'm only 5' 4").

Don't know about living longer but for me there is a definite something about looking younger and aging more slowly.
I am 35 but I look about 17-18, even though I have some white hairs already. I've never set a foot at the beautician's so it's all natural as it can be.
Last time I went to the dentist's, he said that my teeth were what you normally see in dentally healthy high-schoolers. Other doctors have said about the same too, they exaimine me and are genuinely shocked when they learn about my age.
But then I inherited all this from my mother, who is a NT with some scattered Aspie traits. So I can't be sure.

They say stress and anxiety causes premature aging. You'd think because of that we should all look like 90-year-olds by now.

I'll be amazed if I make it past my 50th birthday and not have any really unusual problems. I may not smoke or drink, but my weight has nearly always been an issue.

When I was 30 people said I LOOKED 20 AND WOULD LIVE TO be 100#

Then at 31 i started smoking and drinking . at 51 I look 40...more fun ...

Met some nice earth planet girls, one died on me, our only daughter died in skating accident too, I must be on the wrong planet..

I've always had a baby face, same with the other 2 aspies I know

I am 32 but people still question me about school . My PawPaw died at 69 but was very sick. Others in the family have lived in to there 90s. If I can avoid the history of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer I should be around for a good while.