{"id":1888,"date":"2025-04-03T05:00:13","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T05:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1888\/"},"modified":"2025-04-03T05:00:13","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T05:00:13","slug":"world-autism-day-9-common-signs-of-autism-in-adults","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1888\/","title":{"rendered":"World Autism Day: 9 Common Signs Of Autism In Adults"},"content":{"rendered":"

You may have seen videos<\/a> on social media where people detail the signs that made them realise they\u2019re autistic. Viewers are finding them enlightening and comforting as many people \u2013 mainly women \u2013 are undiagnosed as they reach adulthood.<\/p>\n

According to Dr. Megan Anna Neff<\/a>, a clinical psychologist based in Oregon, a recent study<\/a> found that 80% of women with autism are still undiagnosed at age 18.<\/p>\n

There are many reasons for this: For starters, people learn to adjust their behaviour to fit in with society. Additionally, <\/strong>the autism diagnostic tools used today were developed exclusively on white boys from high socioeconomic status, said Stephanie Gardner-Wright<\/a>, a licensed master social worker and certified autism clinical specialist in Michigan.<\/p>\n

There is also a huge focus on the external signs and not so much the internal symptoms of autism, Gardner-Wright said. And those internal symptoms are very different from person to person.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are so many ways that autism can show up and present,\u201d Neff added. \u201cI think there\u2019s more diversity within autism than there is between autism and allistic.\u201d (Allistic people are folks who aren\u2019t on the autism spectrum.) <\/p>\n

That said, there are a number of signs or thought patterns that undiagnosed autistic people may be able to relate to. HuffPost spoke with mental health professionals, including some people who are neurodivergent themselves, about the signs of autism in adulthood:<\/p>\n

A Feeling Of Being \u2018Different\u2019 From Others<\/strong><\/p>\n

All four experts shared that it\u2019s common for autistic people to feel different. Brandon Tessers<\/a>, the director of Effective Artistry, a therapy group that supports neurodivergent people, said some folks will describe it as \u201cfeeling like an alien sometimes,\u201d while Dr. Vanessa Bal<\/a>, the director of the Center for Adult Autism Services Psychological Services Clinic at Rutgers University in New Jersey said folks describe it as \u201ca lifetime experience of feeling different.\u201d<\/p>\n

The difference between this feeling and the occasional outsider feeling everyone deals with from time to time is that for autistic folks, this feeling does not come and go and is not only during one specific period, like middle school, Bal told HuffPost.<\/p>\n

Gardner-Wright added that this is a big indicator and an internal experience at that \u2014 you cannot look at a person and know if they feel like an outsider. The feeling could be overpowering or could be more subtle, it depends on the person, she said.<\/p>\n

But, it\u2019s important to know that autistic people don\u2019t necessarily feel like outsiders all the time, Bal noted. They may find settings that are more inclusive for neurodivergent people. Additionally, some adults also say they feel more comfortable with who they are and worry less about differences, sometimes seeing them as strengths, as they get older, Bal said.<\/p>\n

Difficulty With Social Cues<\/strong><\/p>\n

Social cues are also another sign. Someone with undiagnosed autism may find they have trouble deciphering how much eye contact is appropriate or when they should stop smiling during a conversation, Gardner-Wright said. They may be able to mask these uncertainties by learning how much is appropriate, but it\u2019s not an innate sense as it is with someone who is allistic, she added.<\/p>\n

A Confusing Relationship History \u2014 Both Romantically Or Platonically<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to Neff, many undiagnosed autistic adults have a confusing and complicated social relationship history. Additionally, romantic relationships may feel tough to navigate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere might be relationships that have that kind of suddenly burst apart but the autistic person doesn\u2019t understand why,\u201d she said. When it comes to the reason behind this complicated relationship history, it\u2019s likely that the person with autism doesn\u2019t know why their relationships fail when other people\u2019s don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Sensory Differences<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sensitivity to sensory input \u2014 like noise and sight \u2014 is another potential sign of autism, said Gardner-Wright, who added that this can mean being hyper-aware of a sound or totally unaware.<\/p>\n

People who are not autistic tend to be more or less responsive to sensory stimuli, she said.<\/p>\n

For example, an autistic person may find that they\u2019re constantly aware of a ticking clock at a friend\u2019s house or really sensitive to the sound of a loud siren, Gardner-Wright noted. <\/p>\n

A Desire For Routine<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many people with autism thrive on consistency. \u201cThe world we occupy is much more uncertain and unpredictable. So we go to routine as a way of self-soothing,\u201d Neff said. When a routine is disrupted, strong emotions may present, including intense irritability or anxiety.<\/p>\n

Gardner-Wright added that the routine doesn\u2019t need to be super strict, either; it\u2019s a common misconception when people think about people with autism\u2019s day-to-day schedule. Instead, it could be a strong preference for a certain mug every morning. Routine looks different for different people.<\/p>\n

Additionally, big changes can be hard, too. \u201cIf they move [homes] or they move careers, this could create a season of insomnia or anxiety,\u201d Neff said.<\/p>\n

Routine can extend to certain behaviours as well. It also includes repetitive body movements, which is known as stimming, Neff added. According to the Children\u2019s Hospital of Pennsylvania\u2019s Research Institute<\/a>, stimming behaviours can include body rocking, hand flapping, spinning, rubbing a specific surface and squealing.<\/p>\n

A Need For Solitude <\/strong><\/p>\n

Another common sign? \u201cNeeding solitude to recharge after social situations or really overstimulating situations \u2014 and overstimulating could be different for everyone \u2014 but that is a very typical hallmark of [autism],\u201d Gardner-Wright said. This could mean feeling totally exhausted after a work presentation or a family party.<\/p>\n

Bal said this exhaustion comes from a term known as \u201ccamouflaging\u201d or \u201cmasking.\u201d \u201cThis is the idea that you have to really hide different facets of yourself or different behaviours in order to fit in what you think the expectations around you are.\u201d<\/p>\n

And while we all do this at times, the degree that autistic people have to camouflage aspects of themselves may results in a feeling of total drainage where afterward they report spending long periods of time alone or in dark and quiet places to recover, Bal said.<\/p>\n

Tessers added that, from the outside, people have no idea when someone is camouflaging. \u201cThey\u2019re doing what everybody wants or expects of them to some successful degree.\u201d This could look like behaving as you \u201cshould\u201d at work but going home and crashing and dreading the idea of having to do this camouflaging all over again tomorrow, Tessers noted.<\/p>\n

\"It's<\/p>\n

Jordan Siemens via Getty Images<\/p>\n

It’s not uncommon for an adult with autism to need time alone after days filled with social commitments.<\/p>\n

More Intense Interests<\/strong><\/p>\n

A deep curiosity and passion for one particular activity or subject can also develop. \u201cOur brains tend to gravitate with a lot of passion towards our area of interest and we become very invested in them and it\u2019s also a way we self-soothe,\u201d Neff said. This could mean building a career around a specific interest or knowing everything about a specific hobby.<\/p>\n

And while everyone has interests \u2014 and many people have strong interests \u2014 Neff said autistic folks likely find a way to relate everything to their specific interest. For example, this could look like finding a way to talk about a favorite TV show even when the conversation revolves around current events.<\/p>\n

\u201cAllistic people can have a special interest but then it doesn\u2019t become their lens for their whole world,\u201d Neff said.<\/p>\n

A Dislike Of Small Talk<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most people don\u2019t love small talk, but for people with autism, small talk can feel totally exhausting or something that shouldn\u2019t have to happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey typically don\u2019t enjoy small talk and perhaps found ways to avoid it,\u201d Neff said. \u201cMaybe they structured their life or their career in a way that they don\u2019t have to do a lot of that allistic communication.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gardner-Wright added that people who are on the spectrum tend to prefer deep, meaningful conversations.<\/p>\n

A Desire For Direct Communication<\/strong><\/p>\n

People with autism thrive on straightforwardness, with \u201creally honest, clear communication being a strong preference,\u201d Gardner-Wright said.<\/p>\n

Neff said autistic people tend to be pretty literal. For example, when you say the phrase \u201cit\u2019s raining cats and dogs,\u201d she said autistic people may picture literal cats and dogs falling from the sky in their mind, but then realise the person speaking is referring to rain.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, actually, I think it\u2019s perhaps more precise to say we\u2019re visual in our communication style versus literal, but it often shows up as being literal,\u201d Neff said. Additionally, the communication style can be described as direct and honest. \u201cWhat we say, we tend to say at face value,\u201d Neff added. <\/p>\n

If you think you have these signs, look to autistic voices for guidance.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Both Gardner-Wright and Neff recommend exploring the hashtag #actuallyaustic<\/a> on social media to listen to lived experiences and hear from people in your specific community about how this exists for them.<\/p>\n

\u201cDiscovering that you\u2019re autistic as an adult can be really validating,\u201d Gardner-Wright said. It can help you more fully understand yourself and your life. \u201cBut there can also be a grieving process for that,\u201d she said, where you may wish you had this information when you were a kid so certain situations could have been different.<\/p>\n

\u201cFeeling a mix of grief and also excitement is very, very normal,\u201d Gardner-Wright said.<\/p>\n

Additionally, embrace-autism.com<\/a> is a helpful resource for free screening tools and tests to help you understand if you are autistic \u2014 though it is not diagnostic, they\u2019re simply online guides to help arm you with information, Gardner-Wright noted.<\/p>\n

You can reach out to mental health professionals, too.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Neff said it can be helpful to connect with a therapist to talk about this new discovery, but she stressed that it\u2019s important to find one who is neurodivergent-affirming or -informed.<\/p>\n

Bal agreed and said \u201cwe have a long way to go with respect to training medical professionals and mental health professionals about autism. I worry there\u2019s a lot of misinformation and misconceptions out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bal added that you can also look up autism centres near you for diagnosis or treatment, but noted that many have a years-long waitlist and may focus only on children. If they can\u2019t fit you in, Bal said, you can ask if they have resources they recommend, or look for community autism organisations to see if they have any resources.<\/p>\n

Additionally, a community of supportive people can be helpful as well, which is where the #actuallyaustic hashtag \u2014 or other online communities \u2014 can be helpful.<\/p>\n