Aging with Adult Autism

Autism is a lifelong brain disorder. Its sufferer’s often have severe problems relating to people, which mean that social contact is problematical. In cases of Adult autism the sufferer’s must have come to terms with their disorder, as it is diagnosed during childhood. For most the challenge is coping with the disease itself, it is the challenge of coping with “normal” people’s reactions.

Autistic sufferers have faced enormous challenges confronting a world of “normal people”, they observe a world in which is difficult for them to find a niche. The majority of people do not understand the affects of adult autism, as few adults have had any interaction with an autistic person. As a society we face a steep learning curve as more and more people are being diagnosed with the disease. In the past autistic children were placed in care, which also limited the chance of adult autistics to be exist in mainstream society.

In all cases of adult autism, the sufferer is aware they are different, but autism is an integral of their identity as a person. Most adult autism sufferers want the world to accept them as they are. In their world, they are capable of enjoying life, and this is made easier if we begin to accept their limitations and strengths.

Autism starts during infancy. The sufferer’s can display huge insecurities, and this is often characterized by massive temper tantrums. Experts are now beginning to understand that autistic people are not so much frustrated by their inability to process information, but their inability to make others accept them as members of the same society.

Autistics as individuals are often shunned as their uncontrollable temper tantrums are judged to outside the boundaries of acceptable behavior.
Their five senses do work; they can hear, talk, smell, see and touch. The problem arises because adult autistics do not interpret the results of that information in the same way as the rest of us. They have a heightened awareness about certain aspects of sense.

Adult autism has been described as causing uncontrollable sensory perception. They are aware of feeling, but do not know what there feelings mean. Therefore they cannot recognize whether they are cold or hot, hungry or replete. Often they react badly to extreme sensory values such as excessive noise or strong smells. Their senses overload as they struggle to know that they are feeling. In adult and child autism they dislike human contact they reject hugs and touch. This makes interactions with others a contentious issue unless they are accepted upon there own terms. Adult autism is not an ideal way of life, but it is their life.

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