"Outgrowing" Aspergers?

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You can't outgrow Asperger's or Autism Spectrum disorders. The reason for that is that, like a previous poster said, Autism Spectrum disorders are not bad behavior. You don't have Asperger's because you behave a certain way. If that was the case then we could just all learn to change the way we behave and then we would all be cured. You behave in certain ways because you have Asperger's, not the other way around. The brain of an Autistic person, including Asperger's, is actually different than the brain of an NT person. The brain develops differently sometime during the second trimester I think if I remember correctly, that it's between weeks 22 and 26 that your mother is pregnant with you. So far they have found several major differences in the Autistic brain. The differences are located in the Limbic part of the brain, which is kind of in the middle, the cerebral cortex and in the connections within the brain. The cerebrum, or outer part of the brain is more developed and is stronger but the connections from the outer part of the brain to the other parts which are more interior are much weaker and less developed in an Autistic brain. Also in the limbic system, the system responsible for memory, learning, behavior and emotion, there are many more neurons than in an NT brain and they are smaller than in an NT brain. So the cells there are too many too small and it makes it like the brain of a much younger person. Also they found that in the cerebral circuit, which is located in the lower back of the brain, brain cell populations were actually missing in the Autistic brain.

They found that the frontal lobe is affected as well. When scientists examined the cortex of Autistic brains they found that they had what they call "patches" which are areas of tissue with abnormal labeling which they found in multiple layers of the frontal cortex. They need to research this further to see exactly what this means and how it affects us but it is different from the NT brain. Our brains also have many more sensory neurons than an NT brain. What they found is that the Autistic brain grows too big and too fast during the second trimester of pregnancy. It has about 60 to 70 percent more neurons in the frontal lobe cortex than the NT brain. With this excessive growth you get a lot of miswiring as the brain continues to develop when the baby is in the womb. And since the frontal lobe is the section of the brain which controls the social aspects of our lives and our ability to communicate properly, that is why we have a lot of issues with that. (Source - University of California San Diego Autism Center of Excellence/University of San Diego School of Medicine).

So that being said, if you are Autistic you were born that way. And because Autism is based on the fact that the brain develops differently from an NT brain, the only way to "outgrow" it would be to get a new brain when you grow up. And unless you have had a brain transplant you have not outgrown your Autism.

Now you can learn skills to compensate and cope and live with Autism and do very very well which seems to be what you have done. It is especially helpful in learning to compensate if your Autism is more mild. And sometimes if you are a girl it is easier to learn social skills by mimicking other people because for some reason, they found that little girls tend to do that a lot better than little boys. So that you can manage to look pretty normal when you are not under a lot of stress. But what I have found, I am one of those girls who can pass for NT if I am careful and if the people don't know me too well, once I get in a stressful situation, my Aspie traits really come out strong. But I also am a lot older than you so I did not have any special classes or any special help with my Asperger's growing up so you might be a lot better at coming across socially normal than I could ever be. If you have had help all your life from special schooling and therapy than that is really great because it can make things easier for you when it comes to functioning in society. So you can learn to manage well enough that it looks like your Autism traits might not be around any more but don't be surprised if they come back every now and then when you get really stressed. And if that happens don't worry about it. You will be fine. You will just need to find a way to de-stress and then you can keep going again as usual once you are relaxed again.

But Autism cannot be outgrown nor can it be cured. The symptoms and traits can be alleviated with rest and good diet and exercise and trying to stay away from stress but you have the brain that you were born with and changing that would take a little more than just therapy.

But it is very exciting and I am very happy to hear that you are doing so well. I hope that you will always do this well. But I just want you to understand that Asperger's is not a thing that can just be outgrown so that if you do have trouble again you won't be surprised and upset about it and you will be able to do whatever you need to do to get to feeling great again.

no, sorry

some kids are born with issues that resemble aspergers that they outgrow, but that doesnt make it aspergers.

i also believe some people can overcome hurdles that aspergers come with but the problems will always be there.

its a neurological disorder, not a Behaviour, not a phase, its a real disorder.

Hi ZombieBride. I had not seen you in a little while. It's good to see you again. Hope all is well with you.

Outgrowing Aspergers? A very subjective question; which brings a 'YES' and 'NO' answer-

* Yes: In that many adults on the spectrum can "know enough to get by" in a neurotypical world; most notable through osmosis. I've been told that personal growth is a strong trait. Getting "older and wiser" - the power of positive thinking can very well become a "self-fulfilling prophecy" of sorts.

* No: That Aspergers is lifelong. Some difficulties with "social skills", and understanding subtleties in both people, and tasks alike can remain apparent over a lifetime.

The term "outgrowing" is becoming increasingly outdated, as overall understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorders increases.

You can't outgrow the neurology, but you can outgrow the diagnosis, as you have done.
This has been proven by research.

Some links that may be helpful on this topic:

John Elder Robison:

It's not something you can really "outgrow", as it is a significant neurological difference. I thought I outgrew it in my early-mid teens as well, but it turns out I merely just learned a few adaptation techniques. Instead of "outgrowing" it, oftentimes people learn to "live" with it. That's basically what I've done, though I have regressed a fair amount over the last couple years.

You never get rid of it but I think you can improve with age. I certainly have that's what my therapist tells me anyway.

sounds like you are very good at recognising in yourself your dificulties and are good at building stratergies to compensate. well done!
in my case i used brute force when i younger, when things got tough i used to say to myself, im the boss and this will not beat me. but the older i get (37 now) the less energy i have to do that anymore and just go with the flow, even if that means a crazy amount of meltdowns and living a life of solitued. but im pretty happy

The thing that bothers me about the idea that you can outgrow AS, it's like people are saying that autism is a disorder that's about the people surrounding the person with autism. Like it's an eye of the beholder disorder. Once it's hidden it's gone? Once you're not annoying the crap out of people they can sign you off and as far as they're concerned you've outgrown it? It's not about them!

It also really insults the person who tried so hard to fit in. The harder you try the less recognition you get for your efforts? What kind of motivation is that? I'm going to be really happy when they can scan brains for autism and they finally realise how hard I've been working all my life.