Does regression happen with Aspergers?

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My interest/obsession in AS has sort of branched out into other interests like brain chemistry and then autism. And as I read more and more about classical autism, I couldn't help but notice that many kids tend to have periods were they regress and stop speaking/interacting/etc. And often they need help to progress.

Does this happen with Aspergers too? Just wondering. Because although I showed some traits as a child, they weren't obvious until after age 6 and a big life change. And they just got worse after that and since I was never helped or noticed, I 'm always stressed, and have severe issues and social phobias now. And I symptoms have been even more severe these past few months. Almost uncontrollable stimming, obsessions with everything, shutdowns, or near shutdowns all the time, irritated with changes in routine, etc. The last stuff didn't even used to be problems.

Also I didn't read anything apart from stress might cause regression. Are there any other reasons? Research? Theories?

Well it's a spectrum and usually if regression happens to someone who qualifies for an Asperger diagnoses you just don't call it "Asperger's" anymore, but classical autism or atypical autism.

Last edited by Raziel on 18 Jan 2013, 5:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Not what is thought of as "regressive autism".

AS is quite stable for the most part (events and such can make the symptoms worst, of course, but that's not actually losing abilities you have).

Not sure if regression is the term, but I certainly have all that happen when stressed.

Things like anxiety and depression can get worse, making it seem as if your AS has gotten worse. I started getting better around age 6 and peaked around age 23, and since then, a lot of life change has drastically increased my anxiety and depression, so it appears to most people as if I'm worse. I make fewer social mistakes than I did at 23 but probably appear less personable and more anxious.

This is pretty much how I am at the moment. I was undiagnosed til a couple of months ago so I just had to figure out ways to cope but I was never really coping - I was using drink and drugs to mask a lot of my symptoms to varying degrees of success. I stopped doing that before I really f****d my body/mind up and then events over the past 5 or so years have made my depression and anxiety much worse. Now I act much more stereotypically autistic and am coping MUCH less well. In this sense it could be said that I have "regressed" but I am certain that when my attempts at improving my life are finally successful that I will probably be more confident and more able to work around my AS and so the "regression" will be undone.

Usually regression gets you spending at least part of your life too low-functioning for an AS diagnosis.

So regression is just a sudden loss of skills that you can't get back.

While stress induced "regression" isn't a real loss, but sort of being unable to cope and mask symptoms?

Those are the differences I'm seeing described. Any thoughts?

I was curious about if it could regress as well, but your description of being unable to cope and mask makes a lot more sense for me