Symptoms of autism appearing at age 4 or later

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It is accepted that the social side may only become apparent wheb the social denands exceed the intuitive avidity to cope; one thinks of the Aspergers prifile where the social differences get picked up at Primary or Secodary school stages, while its particular language profile may instead gsin appreciation in preschool years as a hnt of above average abilities.

I had symptoms appearing at 6 months. I've never heard of symptoms not appearing until age 4. Maybe they were there but more subtle and not noticed in this person and he had a late regression?

I don't know if I have autism or not. But I do know that I spoke three words when I was just a few months old, and I remember saying them. I was told I said they very precisely and clearly.
I then didn't say a word until normal talking age for children.

When I was a young baby I used to cry and scream so much my mother nearly threw me out the upstairs window!

I've mentioned my sister being told things became different when I was 4. However parental noticing of things being different may lag behind when things actually were different . From early on I was reluctant to go to bed early and was prone to having nightmares .


On hindsight the point at which my being a normal child became overtly questionable was going to prep(boarding school) at the age of 8 . That became even more questionable on going to public school at 13 .

At around three he started being selective about food, and food could not touch on his plate. The doctor considered these behaviors as sensory issues displayed early enough to meet the diagnostic criteria for Aspergers. I have read about CDD, and do worry that there could be something along these lines happening. He has had several toileting incidents recently, along with a major increase in anxiety. He can function reasonably well in a familiar environment, but when in an unfamiliar environment he withdraws. When this happens he presents as low functioning. Professionals have seen him in this state at initial appointments, then express surprise when he speaks. Now for the most part he communicates in one or two word statements, but if something he is interested in comes up he will say more.

Doesn't sound too bad, is seems to me the "expectations exceeding coping abilities" scenario. Seems rather "low functioning" as a reaction to stress and anxiety, not some kind of disease.
Does he have enough time in environments in which he "can function reasonably well"?

I agree with your expectations exceeding abilities scenario. The phrase reasonably well is most likely subjective. Any time that he is not invading personal space, yelling, and otherwise bouncing off of the walls is reasonably well for us. He has had increased anxiety lateley, and is afraid of just about anything new or different. We try to keep things comfortable for him, but I fear that this anxiety is causing him to be uncomfortable even in familiar places leading to an overall decline in functioning.

Sounds tough
Is there something he genuinely enjoys?

He enjoys various video games and watching videos on youtube. He also likes to work with me on projects where powertools are not used. He enjoys cooking with me, but it is very stressful for me as he does things like grab the pan to stabilise it while he stirs getting burned in the process. His coordination is not age appropiate, and he does not know his own strength. Food often ends up on the wall, floor, me, etc. Still, I try to include him as he really seems to enjoy it. The toughest part is watching the decline, but there are moments of clarity that give me hope.

How about plasticine, clay, salt dough... they seem compatibile with what you describe.

We have those, and he does enjoy them. He has to be alone though. If someone sticks their hands in it while he is playing he will lash out violently. His older brother is also on the spectrum and does not respect personal space at all. With Christmas approaching, there will be new choices available to them to satisfy their tactile sensory needs.

I get furious when someone puts their hands into something I do!
It's a lot about focus, at least for me. Interacting with others takes away my focus from the task I enjoy.
And I know what you mean with his brother, I have a pair of one child withdrawn and the other not respecting boundaries. It's hard.

One of my major issues is being interrupted, especially over something trivial. It just derails me, and I am rarely able to get back to what I was doing. I often do not start a project so I will not have to deal with the interruption that is inevitable.

So you relate to your son's lashing out, too

I think I had regressive Asperger's. I reached all of my milestones at the average stages as a baby/toddler, and I was very sociable and didn't seem fazed at noisy birthday parties (I've got an old home video of me when I was 3 in this big hall at a cousin's birthday party, and I didn't know half the children there but I still looked relaxed and was joining in the party games).

But when I was 4 and a half, I suddenly regressed to Asperger's as soon as I started school. On my first day of school I lashed out in the classroom; hit the teacher, wouldn't sit still, threw things, ran around the classroom and snatched things out of the other children's hands, and covered my ears a lot and wouldn't share the sandbox. My parents were very shocked because they knew I wasn't a troubled child. So from then onwards I was assessed, observed, supported, etc, and 4 years later I received a diagnosis of Asperger's.


I often wonder if I didn't behave like that when I first started school I perhaps wouldn't have received a diagnosis until adulthood like about 99% of Aspie girls do. I mean, how did you girls make it through childhood without any teachers or anybody noticing your symptoms, and yet I was a bug under a microscope? I'm aiming this question at those who grew up in the 1990s and 2000s.

First, I started school at 6 and half and I didn't go to any kintergarten before. It is possible that at that age I was more ready for such a change than I was when I was 4 and half - I was e.g. awful at church as a preschool child but about an age of 6 I learned to "behave", which meant doing what I saw others were doing.
Second, AS and BAP traits are strongly present in both my mother's and my father's family, so in the eyes of my parents, there was nothing special about e.g. hyperfocus or obsessive interests, or even about feeling alien among my peers. According to my parents, that's life.
Third, my parents are very anti-psychiatry and they dealt with teachers raising concerns by persuading them there was nothing to be concerned about. My mother was quite successful in it, she not only downplayed my excesses but also prevented any intervention about my depression in highschool.