Prosper Health's Autism Resource Center

When my daughter was diagnosed with autism and ADHD a couple of years ago, suddenly, her lifelong eating challenges started to make sense: Her constant refusal to try new foods and her insistence on a “safe foods”-only diet was due to her neurodivergent brain.

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While this is something we’re working on every day, and her nutrient intake is improving, I know she will still have to manage these eating differences in adulthood.

Autism can undoubtedly affect one’s eating habits or behaviors, and autistic people are at a higher risk of developing eating disorders. However, even though there are some overlaps, it’s important to recognize that eating differences in autistic adults aren’t necessarily a gateway to an eating disorder.

In this article, we’ll explain not only the overlap between autism and eating disorders but also clarify the deviations. Plus, we’ll discuss how to identify eating differences, as well as outline autism-informed eating disorder care.

Most people have likely had moments when they struggled to put emotions to words, or couldn't quite put their finger on how they were feeling internally, but when is it more than just a moment?  

If feeling detached from your emotions is common for you, you could have alexithymia.

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Alexithymia is defined as the challenge of naming, recognizing, and expressing emotions, at some point in one's life. Alexithymia may also manifest as difficulty or differences in identifying emotions vs. bodily sensations, such as thirst, instead construing it as anger or irritability. 

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I am autistic, and I often struggle with difficulty identifying my emotions and bodily states. For example, it is very difficult for me to identify when I’m hungry. If I wait too long to eat or fail to recognize the signs, I can grow frustrated and foggy, and often need the help of a checklist to identify the issue. 

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Many autistic individuals struggle with alexithymia. But autistic people aren’t the only ones who tangle with emotional difficulty: individuals with depression can struggle with recognizing their emotions, as can people with anxiety. Those with trauma–both physical and emotional–can also exhibit alexithymia. Alexithymia  is also common among those with other neurodivergences, like ADHD.

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In this article, we will explain what alexithymia is, its common characteristics, and how to develop strategies to both identify and ameliorate the condition.

Like many other people diagnosed with autism as an adult, Christal was first misdiagnosed with anxiety and depression as a child. “Although I feel anxious, it’s more of a neurodivergent overwhelm, and although some symptoms are similar to depression, I often cycle through neurodivergent burnout,” she explains. 

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As an adult, Christal became a clinical psychologist who focuses on adult autism evaluation, which led her to recognize the signs of adult autism in herself. “I was very cautious about who and where I went for an assessment because, being in the field, I know that it is a specialized training and many adults are incorrectly diagnosed,” she says. She chose a clinical psychologist to conduct her assessment, based on a recommendation from a trusted colleague and was officially diagnosed with autism earlier this year, at age 30. 

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So, with so many clinicians getting it wrong, who is best qualified to diagnose autism in adults? 

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According to Kelly Whaling, PhD, licensed clinical psychologist and research lead at Prosper Health: Clinical, counseling, school, or clinical neuropsychologists with PhD and PsyD degrees are the best choice for autism diagnosis because psychological assessment is the core of their training.

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“They spend years learning case conceptualization, how to use and interpret assessment tools properly, differential diagnosis, integrating multiple data sources, and more unique skills,” Whaling explains. “Even with autism-specific training, you need those foundational assessment skills.”

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And that’s just the beginning. To help you choose a clinician that’s right for you, here’s a clear, neurodivergent-affirming guide to which providers are qualified, what qualifications matter, how to vet a clinician, and how to navigate the diagnostic process.

As our understanding of the autism spectrum evolves, so does the language associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). And that language matters. 
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Right before my daughter was diagnosed with ASD, I felt like everyone around me was using the phrase “high-functioning autism” to describe her relatively moderate support needs. It also seemed to confirm why it took several years to receive an autism diagnosis at all. I soon learned, however, that describing someone with “high-functioning autism” was not only incorrect but harmful. 
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For starters, “high-functioning autism” isn’t even a clinical diagnosis, though the term is pervasive enough that some people may mistake it for one.  

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What the best-intentioned people usually mean when they say “high-functioning” is Level 1 or low support needs, which often refers to someone who needs circumstantial support with social communication and restricted or repetitive patterns of behavior and interests (RRB).

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Specifically, that can mean help with managing the need for sameness, recognizing neurotypical social functioning and cues, and managing sensory sensitivities. Autistic people who are Level 1 may also engage in masking, which can make someone seem to have fewer support needs than what is actually sustainable.
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Nasiyah Isra-Ul (they/she) is an autistic professional and disability advocate who believes that the once-prevalent “high-functioning autism” label prevented them from receiving the support they needed throughout their childhood and young adulthood. It could also explain why they received a late autism diagnosis as an adult.
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If you’re curious about signs of high-functioning autism in adults, you’re in the right place! But we won’t be using that problematic term, and neither should you. In this article, we’ll explain why the term is outdated, what people actually mean by it, and what the most common autistic traits look like for adults with Level 1 autism support needs or who mask heavily.

Getting diagnosed with autism later in life, whether it’s in your 20s or 40s or even your 60s, can be a total game-changer. It can impact your entire sense of identity and how you interact with the world and others. It can also bring a profound feeling of relief while answering many questions, including: why did it take so long to figure this out? 

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For Tobey, 41, the turning point following his clinical diagnosis was a deep sense of self-acceptance. “Once I stopped burning energy on hiding and masking, I was able to redirect that effort into becoming my true self,” he says. “The difference has been huge.”

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Tobey is far from the only adult who spent decades living with undiagnosed autism. In fact, the rate of autism in adults has been steadily increasing. Between 2011 and 2022, the autism diagnosis rate increased by 450% among 26-to 34-year-olds alone.

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Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that one in 45 adults is autistic, and even more are likely undiagnosed. This rise is due to the improved understanding of the condition (and acknowledgement that autism is a true spectrum, rather than a collection of specific traits) thus leading to updated diagnostic criteria.

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Whether you’re newly diagnosed yourself or are considering getting an adult autism evaluation, you probably have a lot of questions. In this article, we’ll provide a neurodivergent-affirming breakdown of why many adults receive a late autism diagnosis, and we’ll unpack both the challenges and benefits, as well as how to access support.

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. 

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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. 

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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

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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.

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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. 

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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.