Aspergers (and ASD) affects 1 in 100 people worldwide. Parents with children who have Aspergers have many questions: does Aspergers get worse with age? Is there a cure? We will try to answer these queries in this article.
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When people age, they face many challenges of life, as physical challenges also keep coming in front of them. If a good solution is found or good advice is found, then one should stick with them for the long term.
So really, ‘does Aspergers Get Worse With Age?’ and are Asperger’s and autism the same?. Let’s take a deeper dive into this topic below.
Asperger’s Vs. Autism: Are They Different?
No, they are not separate. So, the people who have Asperger’s have also been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. This means, If you have previously received a diagnosis of Asperger’s instead, you will now receive an autism diagnosis.
Simply put, the behaviors that were believed to be linked with Asperger’s before were caused by mild autism. Many people have been diagnosed with it in their childhood. Few people with mild symptoms don’t receive an autism diagnosis until adulthood. Other disorders related to autism are now also indicated as “autism spectrum disorders.”
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About Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
The level of autism in a person varies from mild to severe. Sadly, the cause of autism is yet unknown. Older adults and children with Asperger’s or autism present:
- Unique obsessions,
- Poor social interactions,
- Odd speech styles,
- Other distinctive mannerisms and
- Few specific facial expressions.
Autism’s optimal treatment involves a vocational or an educational program for both the child and adult.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report points out that boys are diagnosed with ASD more often than girls. The CDC performed this study throughout the United States In 2016. It was a study that has been done in eleven different locations in 8-year-olds kids. The shocking results were that the ratio of boys to girls was 4.3:1 when it came to ASD.
So now, let’s back to the main question. People have many concerns and questions regarding this Asperger’s or autism spectrum disorder, so let us make some small efforts to know those questions today.
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Does Aspergers Get Worse With Age? No, it doesn’t get worse over time.
Aspergers or ASD is not one of those diseases that gets worse over time or makes your condition worse, such as diabetes, heart disease, or other physical conditions.
Many people who are born with Aspergers do not see a worsening of their symptoms or behaviors over time. Yes, they might get more set in their ways, and they might stop caring about what others think of their behavioral differences. But the behaviors themselves do not change much.
Also, Asperger’s or ASD doesn’t get better with age. If an autistic child at ten years is affected with anything, he will be affected with that at his 25th, 30th, and 50th birthday too.
The internationally recognized expert, “Tony Attwood,” gave his statement on Asperger’s. According to him, Asperger’s systems are usually clear. When a child goes to school, they come into contact with many people. They might be affected by how others react to them and try to mold their behavior accordingly.
Later, as an adult, they can develop more coping skills. They know the demands of being around friends or other people better. And these symptoms become more noticeable with time. It happens not because the underlying condition has declined but because one cares less about how his behavior is affecting others.”
Aspergers symptoms can get worse but not the condition itself. To understand why this happens, you have to look at its negative and positive impacts to know why and how this can happen. So let’s try to get down to how these changes can happen with age?
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How Aspergers Impacts Behavior
Asperger’s is a term for emotional and mental disorders. Adults who have Asperger’s may develop more than one comorbid condition. Anxiety and depression are common, which intensify their negative symptoms to a great extent.
People who have Asperger’s struggle with issues like depression. And depression is such a thing that does not allow a person to concentrate on anything and makes them irritable about any things or small things.
Because they cannot concentrate on many things correctly, they are also less socially engaged. They may find it difficult with social interactions or find it very difficult for “small talk.” Also, a person with Asperger’s is more prone to meltdowns and can’t express things in a meaningful way.
The life of a person is just like a rollercoaster ride. Whether it is a problem related to marriage, job, home, or anything, it’s all the little things that matter a lot in his life. All the circumstances have a significant impact on a person’s symptoms with Asperger’s.
His work promotion, marriage, even less noticeable changes in his environment, new things might grow his ability to cope. Sometimes, those things people ignore by calling them normal, the same symptoms later start to become a little dangerous and start appearing.
When the symptoms get intensified, they are more visible in one. This condition is called “Asperger’s regression” when a person starts losing his ability or typical skills, or these all start increasing a bit more.
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Repetitive behavior, restrictive behavior, or natural changes is seen in Asperger’s. If someone has Asperger’s, he will feel like doing that thing repeatedly. It is a hallmark of Asperger’s.
People with Asperger’s may do the same activity every morning before they work, open a door in a specific style, and spin something in a certain style. So, Asperger’s symptoms in adults can change, but other symptoms can worsen with time.
There is a relation between the several symptoms’ changes during adulthood and the spreading of few symptoms during childhood. It depends on individuals. A child with Asperger’s who has powerful executive functioning skills (it’s an ability to carry out and plan even complex tasks) also has a highly developed theory of mind.
Such children later develop good coping skills in their life. Children’s coping skills with bad executive functioning and theory of mind tend to reduce through their 30s, 40s, or 50s.
With age, the person does not socialize much, nor does he meet people because they have physical problems. Their cognitive flexibility reduces, and memory and attention start declining. Their mobility decreases to a great extent.
At this time, their body requires a lot of care and some medicines. These things tend to increase the existing issues of Asperger’s. Looking at all these reasons, you do not have to panic. Instead, you need to know that Asperger’s or autism spectrum disorder’s reality and possibility!.
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Autistic Meltdowns Get Better When One Ages?
In this world, every person’s personality is different, and everyone’s thinking is slightly different. So people with Asperger’s who have high functioning autism will typically have fewer further meltdowns as they become an adult or be mature.
Don’t forget; this heavily depends not only on an individual but on their environment. The Asperger’s, the autism spectrum disorder, the behaviors, and symptoms can’t change with age.
Whatever changes happen, there are changes in that person’s maturity when he grows. There is a change in his ability to think, understand, know, and solve situations. They also better prepare themselves for such situations or avoid it maybe.
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Wrap Up
Adults with Aspergers have good vocabulary skills and high intellectual abilities. They pay good attention to details and may be able to focus for long periods. Most with Asperger’s can forgive others quickly are reliable, honest, enthusiastic, and conscientious. They develop a deep base of knowledge in their subjects of interest.
Therefore, there is no need to be worried about a worsening of symptoms. However, one still must be careful in each step. Also, if you are concerned about it, you can visit any therapies and go for the best treatments.
We hope this article was able to shed light on Aspergers, the behavioral quirks, its causes, and why those quirks seem to get worse with time, even though they don’t actually become worse. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions to make on the content shared here, feel free to drop us a line below, and we will get back to you.
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