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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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How to Build a Sensory Self Care Kit to Cope with Sensory Overload
Most autistic adults are familiar with the feeling of sensory overload. Sometimes, an environment is too brightly lit or too noisy. There may be too many overwhelming smells, or clothing may feel extra tight or scratchy. Sensory overload and overstimulation can cause a variety of symptoms, ranging from anxiety to irritability to dizziness. For many autistic individuals, sensory overload can lead to meltdowns, which are particularly exhausting facets of living with autism spectrum disorder.
Though it’s difficult, if not impossible, to completely avoid overly stimulating environments, a sensory self-care kit can help ease discomfort. A sensory kit is a set of items that can be used to reduce sensory input. Having a pre-made kit of these trusty items in one convenient place means that when you’re feeling distressed, you don’t have to think about what to do or scramble to find your comfort items. You can simply reach into your sensory toolkit and start finding relief ASAP.
Read on to learn how to identify your individual sensory preferences and create a sensory self-care kit uniquely suited to your needs.
How to Help with Autism Brain Fog: Effective Strategies for Autistic Adults
Has your brain ever felt fuzzy or exhausted––like it’s moving through molasses to complete basic tasks or remember something? If so, you’ve likely experienced brain fog. People use the term “brain fog” to describe mental fatigue, forgetfulness, impaired executive function and increased effort to do daily tasks.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and brain fog tend to go hand in hand since there’s some overlap between symptoms of brain fog and autistic traits, which can trap autistic adults in an exhausting cycle.
Brain fog has several causes and manifests differently for different people. While some may experience executive dysfunction or memory difficulties, others may find themselves struggling more with fatigue or social anxiety. Just like other facets of autism, brain fog doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all solution. That’s why it’s important for autistic adults to feel empowered to create individualized solutions for the challenges that brain fog presents.
Read on to learn some potentially effective strategies for autistic adults to reduce brain fog.
How to Set Boundaries as an Autistic Adult: A Comprehensive Guide
Boundaries are essential for maintaining emotional well-being and mental health. They protect personal space and help foster healthier relationships. Effective boundaries define what’s acceptable and what’s unacceptable in your relationships.
For adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), setting and enforcing boundaries is an empowering form of self-advocacy that can reduce stress, prevent autistic burnout and create a sense of control over one’s life.
Read on to learn about effective healthy boundaries and how to set boundaries as an autistic adult.
Empowering Autistic Parents: Navigating Parenting with Unique Strengths
Parenting is both deeply rewarding and challenging, no matter who you are. For autistic adults, parenting offers meaningful experiences and unique challenges. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) shapes parenting styles in profound ways, but it doesn’t make someone any less capable of raising happy and healthy children.
Many autistic parents bring valuable qualities to parenting, including deep empathy, a strong commitment to routines and an analytical approach to problem-solving. However, they may also face distinct challenges, such as navigating social expectations, managing sensory issues and balancing executive functioning demands.
By embracing neurodiversity in parenting, autistic parents can create loving and stable environments that honor both their own needs and those of their children.
Unraveling the Mystery of Misdiagnosed Autism
Have you ever heard the phrase, “If you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras”? This metaphor, dating back to Dr. Theodore Woodword in the 1940s, reminds doctors what to prioritize when evaluating a patient’s symptoms. It tells doctors to focus on the most likely diagnosis (the “horse”) for the presenting symptoms before considering what’s less likely (the “zebra”), even if the unlikely zebra seems to fit.
Being autistic can feel like being a zebra in a world of horses—which is no wonder since autistic people make up only about 2% of the U.S. population. Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by social and communication differences and a preference for sameness and repetition. It’s a specific constellation of traits, the presentation of which varies greatly from person to person.
Misconceptions around the autism spectrum and common biases mean that many autistic individuals go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. By some estimates, approximately 1 in 4 autistic individuals (and 1 in 3 autistic women) have received a misdiagnosis of a psychiatric condition before being diagnosed with autism. Autism is not a mental health diagnosis, but it can have some things in common with mental health diagnoses, and some clinicians who don’t specialize in autism might not be able to tell the difference.
The misdiagnosis of autism matters to healthcare providers, educators, and, most of all, autistic individuals and their families. Keep reading to learn about the consequences of misdiagnosis and why autism might be misdiagnosed.
Therapy for Autistic Adults: What to Expect in Your First Session
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects the development of a person’s brain and nervous system. ASD is part of the natural diversity in human brains, traits and behaviors, also called neurodiversity. Autism occurs along a spectrum, and each autistic person may have a very different combination and intensity of autistic characteristics and support needs. In general, when compared to neurotypical peers, autistic individuals typically experience differences in sensory and cognitive processing, social approaches, communication and their relationship to routine and repetition.
ASD has long been stigmatized and misunderstood, even within the medical community. Often, autism is associated with early childhood, but in reality, it’s a lifelong diagnosis. The CDC estimates that nearly five and a half million US adults are autistic, yet the scarcity of resources for autistic adults is staggering. A 2019 study found that 84% of US counties have no diagnostic resources for autistic individuals of any age, and accessing high-quality mental health services as an autistic adult is notoriously difficult.
For many autistic adults, this gap in resources can make getting help daunting—but all the more important. Autistic adults are more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness––between 40 and 50% of autistic individuals have or have had anxiety, and as many as 40% have or have had depression, compared to 18.2% and 21.4% of all US adults, respectively. Even more worrying, 66% of late-diagnosed autistic adults reported experiencing suicidal ideation at some point in their lives. Stigma and a broad social failure to accommodate autistic needs are likely drivers of poorer mental health outcomes among autistic adults.
Autistic adults can thrive despite adversity, but many of us confront similar challenges and could benefit from support. These can include, but are certainly not limited to:
- Masking and unmasking
- Autistic burnout
- Sensory sensitivity and sensory overload
- Disclosure and accessing support
- For late-diagnosed autistic adults, processing a new diagnosis
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