Mental health issues Anxiety and depression are common with people with Aspergers. You may also see mood swings. Their behavior may appear to be erratic at times.
In addition to difficulties with understanding emotions, individuals with ASDs may become angry quickly and may have difficulty calming themselves effectively. They often need to be taught skills to cope with an increase in irritability once they have been able to identify these emotions.
Autistic adults might continue to struggle to manage their emotions. They may have sudden outbursts of anger or become withdrawn when overwhelmed. These emotional reactions, which are common in those with ASD, might be seen as neuroticism, borderline personality disorder, or another mental illness.
Adults with Asperger's syndrome may experience symptoms such as: awkward social interactions. difficulty talking with others. an inability to interpret nonverbal behaviors in others.
displays unusual nonverbal communication, such as lack of eye contact, few facial expressions, or awkward body postures and gestures. does not empathize with or seems insensitive to others' feelings and has a hard time “reading” other people or may have difficulty understanding humor.
Asperger's in adults typically causes issues with communication, emotion regulation and interpretation, social interactions, and behavior. People who have Asperger's may also experience other conditions, such as depression, anxiety, or OCD.
What the researchers also discovered was that average life expectancy for the general population was about 70 years old. In the ASD group, the average age was about 54. Perhaps more startling, people with ASD that also had cognitive disabilities had an average life expectancy just under 40 years old.
Not surprisingly, the symptoms of bipolar disorder in someone with autism are likely to look different than they would in others. They commonly include “pressured speech” (rapid, loud and virtually nonstop talking), constant pacing, an abrupt decrease in sleep and increased impulsivity leading to aggression.
People with autism may have periods of irritability, aggression, pacing, hyperactivity, and loss of sleep that can look like symptoms of bipolar disorder. A psychiatrist reviews a person's symptoms and examines whether there is a cycle of changing moods over time.
What does an 'autism meltdown' look like? Some signs that a loved one is having or nearing a meltdown may include: being irritable, which can include shouting or physical aggression. fidgeting or stimming more (repetitive movements or noises)
A meltdown is where a person with autism or Asperger's temporarily loses control because of emotional responses to environmental factors. They aren't usually caused by one specific thing. Triggers build up until the person becomes so overwhelmed that they can't take in any more information.
These results suggest that impaired empathy in individuals with Asperger syndrome may be due to impaired integration of the cognitive and affective facets of the other person's mental state.
Also, the atypical body language of Aspies can be misinterpreted as lack of attention, disrespect or malingering. Some Aspies may avoid eye contact, speak in monotone, or have a meltdown when over‐stimulated or frustrated.
Adults with mild autism may come off as socially awkward. They may not understand the back-and-forth nature of conversations. One common behavior is unintentionally talking too much about yourself or your interests and not allowing the other person time to talk.
People with Asperger syndrome often have difficulty 'reading' other people - recognising or understanding others' feelings and intentions - and expressing their own emotions. This can make it very hard for them to navigate the social world. They may: appear to be insensitive, even if they don't intend to be.
Like people with autism, people with Asperger's syndrome have a dreadful time understanding what is going on, socially. They do not always pay attention to the social scene in which they find themselves, and even when they do, they are often not able to make sense of what they see, or to respond appropriately.
Every person with Asperger Syndrome is developmentally delayed, not intellectually, but at the social-emotional level. This delay can be significant; for example, a 21-year-old may seem socially and emotionally more like a 14-year-old.
Asperger's syndrome affects a person's affect and manner more than it does any particular body part. Children with Asperger's syndrome speak very quickly and have a dull voice, and often have an unusually formal manner of speaking.
Problems are usually obvious by the age of 3, but children are often not diagnosed with Asperger syndrome until they are 7 years old. Your child's doctor will look for a group of behaviors.
The cause of Asperger syndrome, like most ASDs, is not fully understood, but there is a strong genetic basis, which means it does tend to run in families. Multiple environmental factors are also thought to play an important role in the development of all ASDs.