AS during teenage years...

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Is it possible to develop it during the teenage years? I'm strongly meeting the criteria for AS but the main obvious obstacle is that I did not have these problems as a child, for example I did not stim, and I was not really frustrated (just irritated) when my routines would to be interrupted.

It's quite odd, can these symptoms just develop out of nowhere or did I actually have these "genes", just that they were activated during these years?

Is it possible for autism to develop during teenage years? No
Is it possible for autism and the struggles it brings to become more apparent during teenage years? Yes

That said, there will always be traits in childhood even if they do not cause issues until later down the road.

I can remember having it as I can remember anything. Of course, there wasn't a name for AS at the time. but I knew that something was wrong with the world around me all the back to my preschool years.

Autism itself cannot develop, but the symptoms and difficulties associated with it can gradually become worse. This was the case for me at least, the combination of a hostile environment and bullying made my symptoms more severe with passing time. Even now I'm making more negative than positive progress due to stress of university, complete lack of help from social services and social isolation.

Mine became worse in some ways or I should say I had setbacks when puberty started. I deal with some stuff on a level I didn't when I was younger.

I wouldn't say you develop AS in your teenage years, but what happens is that the environment around you changes. In your earlier years you may not notice that you have any behavioural difficulties because your parents cushion you from your environment and protect you from any dangers around you. Then when you hit secondary school you are more independent of your parents and expected to behave at a another level of maturity in adopting to a totally different teaching environment. You then find yourself at the mercy of bullies and anyone else who finds you not fitting in with the norm.

I believe it is possible.

It's possible that it's partially a genetic predisposition, but exacerbated by intestinal dysbiosis. (Which is likely antibiotic & diet induced.) That has been my experience. In hindsight, I've had symptoms my entire life.. HOWEVER, a few years ago they got MUCH worse & lasted for 3-4 years until I figured out what was causing them to be so bad and how to treat myself. Like yourself, I KNEW that I didn't always have these strong symptoms and that SOMETHING must be causing them to be worse and worse. I made it through a personal living hell and read thousands of pages in order to find out what & how to deal with it.

I've described all of this in the thread linked in my signature. Have a read & feel free to pm any questions/comments.

Teenage years are often the most social of ones life, while autism's primary impairment is social adeptness. Combine this with the constant changes (another blind spot for those of us on the spectrum) and the fact that most people that age are as*holes.