Signs of Autism in Adults

The quality and quantity of autistic signs displayed in adults can vary in each case. The key factors that determine the strengths and challenges of each autistic person may include the age of when they were diagnosed, whether they have a diagnosis at all and whether they choose to disclose their autism. The signs may also be dependent on gender. For example, autism can be harder to identify in women. Each situation is different, and this guide doesn’t have the purpose of being a tick-box exercise that determines whether a person is autistic or not. Instead, it has the intent of giving you some of the signs to look out for to help you support an autistic adult in the best way possible.

Common Signs of Autism in Adults

Here are some of the signs of autism you’re probably aware of due to mainstream media or prior discussions you’ve had about autism:

Difficulties in social situations. This can involve not understanding what others are thinking or feeling, repeating phrases, being blunt, rude, or disinterested, talking at others, avoiding eye contact, finding it hard to listen due to slower brain processing or taking what you say very literally if they don’t understand.
Engaging in repetitive behaviour. This consists of repeating the same phrases, flapping their hands, flicking their fingers, or rocking their body.
Heightened worry and anxiety. An autistic person can get very upset if they get asked to do something outside of their daily routine, the room conditions are unsuitable for them, or they are under time pressure created by deadlines.
Having interests or hobbies with intense focus. This can lead to an autistic person becoming an expert or recalling specific dates or events in that field.

Other Signs of Autism in Adults

Here are the signs of autism that aren’t covered as frequently. Some of these include strengths that can work in an autistic person’s favour. These are as follows:

Being agitated by low-key repetitive noises such as eating noises, keyboard noises, snoring or breathing.
Valuing honesty, punctuality, and reliability. Autistic people tend to prefer verbal, direct communication when arranging catch-ups, business meetings or dates. Any ambiguities or last-minute changes in the arrangement could overwhelm an autistic person. As a result, they would not do this to another person and like to treat others how they would like to be treated.
Using a structured approach to manage everyday life. Structure helps autistic people to create the steps required to complete a task or to plan for the future.
Autistic people may be capable of noticing small details in patterns, sounds, smells or textures that non-autistic people can’t.

Men vs Women

Autism can be harder to spot in women compared to men. According to the National Autistic Society, the ratio of diagnosed autistic males to females ranges from 2:1 to 16:1. This means that potentially there are a large number of undiagnosed females. Therefore, it’s important to understand the key differences in certain behaviours between men and women to ensure that everyone has fair chance of getting an assessment and diagnosis. Some of the differences to be aware of are as follows:

Autistic women are prone to masking some signs of autism by copying how others behave. Autistic men often find masking more difficult.
As a result, autistic women appear to cope with social situations better than autistic men.

So, how could you tell if a woman is autistic? The good news is that there are still a few behaviours to look out for, which are as follows:

Heightened anxiety and worry. Do they easily get stressed with everyday tasks such as shopping, parking, or travelling?
Preferring to spend more time by themselves.
Being blunt in their speech and in answering questions.
Having interests or hobbies with intense focus. Even though autistic women may have lives centred around their social circles, they may also have interests or hobbies that help them relax and where they have outstanding talent.

Summary

There are more misconceptions about autism for adults. As people get older, they naturally become more aware of social conventions and mask the signs in public as much as possible to fit in. The signs, therefore, are more subtle than they are in children and the task to spot them becomes more challenging. Mainstream media portrays autistic adults as scientists or computer nerds in TV shows such as The Big Bang Theory. The truth is these portrayals are distorted caricatures, that have become intuitive to misinformed non-autistic people in judging how their autistic counterparts may behave or choose their career paths in real life. However, an autistic person may like to socialise in bars with their friends or pursue a career in any kind of industry or field.

It can be a challenge when the autistic person chooses not to disclose their autism or doesn’t realise they have the condition. How do you approach a person who may display signs of autism in a challenging personal or professional situation/ Firstly, be honest that you have noticed their struggles without mentioning autism. Secondly, calmly ask them how you can help them. It’s then likely that they will be more willing to open up to you about their autism or at least their challenges if they haven’t been diagnosed. It should always be a team effort to make a working or personal relationship succeed between yourself and an autistic individual.