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Prosper Health's Autism Resource Center
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Special Interests and Autism
Most autistic individuals have one or more special interests. A special interest is an intense fixation that far exceeds a typical hobby or passion. An autistic person will typically have the desire to devote large portions of their time, and sometimes large portions of their money, to their special interests. Neurotypical people can and do experience fixations or passions, but having a special interest is a trait strongly associated with autism.
Here’s what you need to know about special interests, how they manifest, the benefits of encouraging them, and more.
What Are Signs of Autism in Adults? A Guide to Autistic Traits and Self-Discovery
When you picture someone with autism, there’s a good chance that a child comes to mind. Maybe your nephew or a member of your child’s class is diagnosed, so you’re familiar with some of the behaviors associated with the condition...or at least how they show up in children. But millions of autistic adults exist too, since autism is a distinct neurotype, not something you grow out of.
However, if the condition wasn’t assessed already in childhood, it can be harder to spot as an adult. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that one in 45 adults is autistic, and even more are likely undiagnosed.
Though there are many shared traits between the age groups, autism can present differently in adults than in children, which is something we'll discuss in depth within this article. But fundamentally, the signs of autism in adults include a range of characteristics like:
- Social interaction and communication differences
- Self-soothing and self-regulatory behaviors
- Sensory and processing differences
- Special interests and activities
- Emotional regulation and cognitive traits
If you suspect you may be autistic, you likely know the journey toward diagnosis isn’t so straightforward. It can be confusing and frustrating! Especially since no two people with autism are the same, and everyone has their own unique combination of strengths and challenges.
On top of that, many adults tend to mask their autistic behaviors to fit in with their neurotypical peers, oftentimes without even realizing it. Plus, thanks to gender and cultural bias and other stereotypes, countless autistic adults are overlooked due to their more subtle presentation of the condition.
That’s why Prosper Health is here to provide you with a clear, inclusive, neurodivergent-affirming breakdown of adult autism signs: what they are, why they’re often missed, and what to do if they resonate.
Understanding Autism and Relationships: Navigating Love, Family and Friendship
Autism can shape how individuals experience relationships, bringing unique strengths like honesty, loyalty, and focus. However, autism also creates challenges related to interpreting social cues or expressing emotions. These differences can easily lead to misunderstandings.
Autistic people thrive in relationships with clear communication and mutual understanding. For instance, they may prefer direct communication or need time to recharge after sensory overload. When these needs are respected, it fosters trust and support.
Autism Support Needs, Not Labels: A Guide to “Levels”
As an adult diagnosed first with autism as a child and again as an adult, I have witnessed firsthand the change in the way the DSM, or The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, has changed to affirm autistic people. In 2013, the DSM updated its resources with an eye to supportive care.
Rather than labeling autistic people with misleading descriptors like high-functioning, low-functioning, or others, experts now categorize autistic individuals based on levels (one, two, or three). These levels indicate varying degrees of support needs, which are often fluid and can change over time.
Mental health professionals and patients can now navigate autism support without labels, a notable step forward in recognizing the individuality of care.
This DSM change also did away with the term pervasive developmental disorder, which encompassed disorders such as Aspergers and child disintegrative disorder. Instead, they were replaced by autism spectrum levels.
Kaila Hattis, MA, LMFT, founder and therapist of Pacific Coast Therapy, explains, “The change focuses less on what someone has to more on what someone needs, and changes the way families access services and disperse information on what their loved one needs."
While these three levels of autism don’t capture the full picture of autism spectrum disorder, they’re a move in the right direction to fuller, more nuanced autism treatment.
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Vocal Stimming: What It Is and Why It Helps
Self-stimulatory behavior, or “stimming,” is a common trait among autistic people. Stimming is both a way to support sensory and emotional regulation and to express joy. This might look like using fidget toys, hand flapping, hair twirling, or staring at patterns.
Vocal stimming, is also included in this category. Some autistic people, like my daughter, who has autism and ADHD, for example, engage in this sensory-seeking behavior by producing certain sounds. These repetitive sounds, like humming (my daughter’s go-to vocal stim when she’s stressed), clicking, whistling, or even singing (another one of my daughter’s preferred stims), can be self-soothing and satisfying.
While vocal stimming is often associated with autism, these traits can present in neurotypical people as well. What’s important to remember when it comes to any type of self-stimulatory behavior is that it’s harmless and should never be a source of shame.
Whether you’re someone who identifies as neurodivergent or want to support the autistic people in your life, this article will help you better understand vocal stimming. In addition, we’ll explain what vocal stims can sound like, why people find vocal stims calming, and how these behaviors relate to autism, ADHD, and nervous system regulation.
Selective Mutism in Adults: What It Is, Why It Happens, and What Actually Helps
Imagine a young woman sitting in the cafeteria at work. In between bites of her sandwich and sips of her coffee, she has a spirited, eager conversation with her closest friend. All of this light, peaceful energy ends when a colleague sits next to her and asks how her weekend went.
Suddenly, she’s paralyzed, and as much as she tries, she can’t get any words out. The words are just blocked. As an adult with selective mutism, this is a familiar yet distressing experience.
Many people associate selective mutism with childhood, but it can both persist and start in adulthood, confirms Rachel Loftin, chief clinical officer at Prosper Health. Being unable to speak can feel frustrating, confusing, and alienating. This is especially true in a world where many people don’t understand selective mutism.
In this article, we’ll explain selective mutism in adults, what may contribute to it, and how it differs from (and overlaps with) social anxiety and autism. We will also explore coping strategies, treatment, and support options.
Is ADHD on the Autism Spectrum? Clearing Up the Confusion
When my therapist suggested that I might have ADHD, I couldn’t get home to start Googling fast enough. I was in my early 30s, and at the time, I was unaware of how ADHD manifests in adult women. But because I wasn’t hyperactive, I was skeptical of my therapist’s conclusion and wanted to do my own homework.
As I was researching, I noticed that many of the signs of ADHD and autism appear very similar, like hyperfocus and niche interests, sensory sensitivities, and difficulty with executive function. I experienced each of these, and wondered if it was possible that I actually had autism, or perhaps autism and ADHD—known colloquially as AuDHD.
When I had a formal evaluation, my psychiatrist determined that I did, in fact, have ADHD, but not autism. Autism and ADHD are both neurodevelopmental differences under the umbrella of "neurodivergence" and not on the same spectrum. But, given the ADHD and autism overlap in certain ways, and my resulting confusion, I wondered about the nuances of my ADHD assessment results and how it compared to an autism diagnosis.
In this article, we'll explain the overlaps between autism and ADHD, while emphasizing that they are both unique.
Dorsal Vagal Shutdown: When Your Nervous System Goes Offline
When Aaron, 35, experiences dorsal vagal shutdown as an autistic person, his body feels massively heavy and isn’t as responsive as normal. Mentally, everything feels more taxing.
“I feel uncoordinated because even just moving around and existing takes significant effort,” he says. “If I try to power through those moments, it feels like pulling myself out of a vat of sludge, and then moving around still covered in it.”
Simply put, dorsal vagal shutdown is “a state of overwhelm of the nervous system,” explains Jephtha Tausig, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in autism. It commonly occurs in autistic and neurodivergent adults, like Aaron.
Although people have started to use the term “dorsal vagal shutdown,” and it appears in online discourse, there is no strong empirical evidence that we can measure or isolate a discrete dorsal vagal shutdown state in autistic adults, says Dr. Rachel Loftin, PhD, chief clinical officer at Prosper Health.
For the reasons above, we’ll focus on what the science clearly supports and what people reliably experience, and provide examples of support that can help.
Is Autism Genetic? What Science Actually Shows
Autism diagnoses have increased by about 300% over the past 20 years, along with a rise in more widespread understanding about this neurological condition. While the phrase “knowledge is power” comes to mind, the more we understand autism, the more questions about its origins and causes inevitably arise.
When I received my daughter’s autism diagnosis, part of me was relieved. My suspicions had been confirmed, and we could now obtain much-needed accommodations. At the same time, countless questions were spilling out of my brain as quickly as I could form them.
- “Did I do something unhealthy in my pregnancy?” (Answer: No)
- “Is there a connection between my neurodivergent brother and my husband’s autistic nephew? (Answer: Probably)
- “How did our genetics play a role in my daughter’s diagnosis?” (Answer: It’s complicated; more importantly, no one is to blame, and no one gene is responsible)
- “Is there an autism cure?” (Answer: No, because autism is not a disease and doesn’t need to be “fixed”)
The truth is, there remains a lot of confusion around the causes of autism—specifically on the subject of genetics—even though we know so much more about this condition now than we did only a decade or two ago.
Still, everyone deserves to understand why they are the way they are, without fear, guilt, or shame. Our goal with this article is to help you understand the relationship between autism and genetics, as well as to clarify common misconceptions about genetic inheritance, the process by which DNA is passed down from parents to children.
But above all, we’re here to remind you that humans, whether neurotypical or neurodivergent, are so much more than their genetic makeup.
Understanding the Link Between Autism and Alcohol Use
As a young teenager, Chelsey Flood felt drawn to alcohol for the reasons many people do. She felt that it gave her access to a more confident version of herself and the ability to relax in group settings.
Although she was never officially diagnosed with a disorder related to alcohol, Flood started to choose drinking over almost everything else. This kept her from living the life she truly wanted to live—enjoying hobbies, practicing healthy habits, and looking after herself.
After Flood became sober in her early 30s, she learned the main reason social settings came as such a struggle to begin with: she is autistic. Recent research suggests that alcohol addiction is more common among autistic people than previously believed.
While many people ask about the link between autism and alcoholism, we won’t use the latter term. Instead, we will use the term alcohol use disorder (AUD). This reflects that the condition is a treatable disorder and a clinically defined, spectrum-based term that is more precise and less stigmatizing.
In this article, we’ll explore the relationship between autism and drinking, why some autistic adults are more vulnerable to alcohol misuse, and why it can be especially risky for them. We'll also learn why standard recovery models can be tough for autistic adults, and what autism-affirming recovery support looks like.
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