Testing for autism in adults involves in-depth clinical interviews about your developmental history, social experiences, and behaviors, using standardized tools like ADOS-2 or ADI-R, often with input from family members who knew you as a child, and may include psychological assessments, to understand patterns of social communication and restricted interests, as there's no single blood test. A team including psychologists, psychiatrists, or speech pathologists gathers detailed history and observes you to form a comprehensive picture.
The gold standard is to obtain a diagnosis from a psychologist, psychiatrist or similar trained clinician who specializes in ASD, but you may want to start by making an appointment with your primary care physician.
Main signs of autism
M-CHAT-R. The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised (M-CHAT-R) is a screening tool that will ask a series of 20 questions about your child's behavior. It's intended for toddlers between 16 and 30 months of age. The results will let you know if a further evaluation may be needed.
Adults with high functioning autism typically have strong language skills and average or above-average intelligence. However, they still face challenges in social interactions, communication, and behaviour that can impact their daily lives.
Around 90% of autism cases are attributed to genetic factors, meaning autism is highly heritable, with many different genes contributing, rather than a single cause, often interacting with environmental influences during early brain development, though specific environmental factors don't cause it but can increase risk. Twin studies show strong genetic links, with concordance rates between 60-90% in identical twins, and research points to complex interactions of many genes and prenatal/perinatal factors.
The "6-second rule" for autism is a communication strategy where a speaker pauses for about six seconds after asking a question or giving information, giving the autistic person extra time to process it without feeling rushed, which helps reduce anxiety and allows for a more thoughtful response, reducing frustration for both parties. Instead of repeating or rephrasing, which can be confusing, you wait, and if needed, repeat the exact same words after the pause.
Seven key signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often involve challenges with social communication (like avoiding eye contact, not responding to names), restricted/repetitive behaviors (like repetitive movements or strict routines), sensory sensitivities (unusual reactions to sounds, lights, textures), and difficulties with emotional understanding or verbal expression, though signs vary greatly and appear differently across ages. Key indicators include limited gestures, delayed speech, intense focus on specific objects, difficulty with pretend play, and strong distress when routines change.
What are the early warning signs for autism spectrum disorder? The early warning signs for an ASD include concerns about a child's social skills, communication, and restricted or repetitive patterns of behaviors, interests, activities, and emotional regulation.
Top 10 Calming Strategies for Autism
Physical Symptoms:
There is not just one cause of ASD. Many different factors have been identified that may make a child more likely to have ASD, including environmental, biologic, and genetic factors.
However, these are some of the more common manifestations of communication symptoms:
The assessment process typically involves gathering information about: early developmental history from someone that knew you well as a child (for example a parent or sibling), if this is available. family history including significant life events that may affect the person's reactions and behaviour.
Someone with ADHD is more likely to seek out novelty and make more impulsive decisions, whereas an autistic person is more likely to crave routine and structure.
Here are some common signs of “mild autism” in adults to look out for: finding it hard to understand what others are thinking or feeling. getting very anxious about social situations. finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on your own.
Masking is a strategy used by some autistic people, consciously or unconsciously, to appear non-autistic. While this strategy can help them get by at school, work and in social situations, it can have a devastating impact on mental health, sense of self and access to an autism diagnosis.
Individuals with HFA typically have normal to above-average intelligence and may excel in certain areas, such as academics or specific interests. However, they often struggle with social interactions, communication, and understanding social cues, which can impact their daily lives.
Chinning is a form of repetitive self-stimulatory behavior (stimming) that you may notice in children or adults with autism. It involves pressing, rubbing, or holding the chin against objects, surfaces, or even hands to gain sensory input or comfort.
When someone is in a state of high anxiety or flooded with sensory input the brain can become overwhelmed and demand a fight, flight, or freeze response from the body. In autistic people this can result in a meltdown (the equivalent of the 'fight' response) which is often mistaken for a temper tantrum.
Autistic people have a social interaction style that is different compared to people who are not autistic. Differences may include: Autistic people use non-verbal communication differently. Their minimal use of eye contact might be helping them to manage sensory input and focus on what you are saying.
Signs of Borderline Autism in Adults
Adults with borderline autism typically feel most confident when their typical routine is stuck to and there are no changes. Symptoms that reflect ADHD regarding executive functioning, impulsivity, and/or hyperactivity.
Do All Autistic People Stim? Common Stimming Examples Do Not Apply to Everyone. Everyone has their own way of dealing with stress, moving their body, engaging their mind, and expressing their emotions because people are unique with individual needs and preferences.
It's not uncommon for people to go through life without an autism diagnosis only to realize they may have autism later in life. It usually comes from feeling like they never quite “fit in” and recognizing some of the symptoms above in their own life.