Do Sensory issues get worse with age in AS

Post Reply New Topic

Hi,

My 5 yr old son was recently dianosed with "mild" AS. I am having a hard time accepting the diagnosis because:
1> He actually likes crowds at this point in time
2> He is not currently routine oriented
3> Even though he is very interested in trains, he does willingly and easily move on to other games when asked.
4> He currently loves playing with his friends and so far has not sounded monotone
5> I tried the 2nd order Theory of Mind test on him and he passed (he is 5)

He does have a memory for odd things and smells, notices details that others don't, toe walk and avoids eye contact with authority figures and strangers (not peers).

He does have ADD and sensory issues though, such as aversion to blender noises, cheese smells (on pizza) etc
The thing is, a couple of years ago, he loved the noise from the blender and would come running to hear it.
If the diagnosis is indeed right, my questions to this group are:
1 Did some of you develop more sensory sensitivities as you grew up or were they a constant set?
2 Do any of you like crowds/large gatherings? More like look forward to crowds...
3 What would you have liked your parents to have done differently (if anything) wrt you while growing up (more affection, more structure, more AS related social skills training, more patience, quicker acceptance of the diagnosis, more exposure to outside world etc)

I don't mind malls, amusement parks, places where there are lot of people. I go to an autism group and am looking forward to going to the New Year's Party tonight one of them is holding. I used to go to three of them and then couldn't anymore due to my work schedule but now I am off again, so I can now.

I had friends growing up but not much. Then I had friends who were a few years younger than me because we had things in common. My friends got too hard to be with and were boring. Plus they didn't want me around. It got worse and worse as I got older and then soon I couldn't have friends my own age unless I found someone who had things in common. I think I was just lucky I had kids who wanted to come over just to play with my stuff or somewhere to hang out when they had no one else to play with. Even the neighbors behind me would always lock their kids out of the house because they didn't want them around so they go to their friends houses and hang out, even mine if no one else was home nor could play. But I was hardly allowed in their homes and I never did good there.


My sensory issues seemed to get worse in my teens and then better. I could no longer stand my brothers and their friends because of the noise they make, I could no longer stand them being over all the time. It was just stressful at the time. Then the parties they have, I hated them but when I was little, it didn't bother me when my parents do bunco or some parties occasionally.

I think you'll know when is older if it applies to him. Don't worry about the diagnosis now. Issues get worse the more stress and social requirements increase. I wonder how he got an AS diagnosis instead of PDD-NOS however.

I've heard they get better, and I've been hoping so.

They got better for me, but not really because they actually decreased in intensity. I simply became more aware of what bothered me and discovered strategies to avoid those things. Nowadays, the sensory-related issues are actually fairly uncommon. When I'm under stress, sensory sensitivity increases.

I hate crowds, simple as that. Force me to stay in one too long and I may actually feel overwhelmed enough to run away.

What my parents should've done differently? Stopped punishing me for not doing things I didn't know how to do. They assumed that because I was "obviously so smart", my problems came from rebellion--that I didn't want to do what they asked. In reality, I didn't know how, or couldn't organize/task-switch well enough to get started. It's the worst thing when they expect you to be able to do something anytime you like, because you managed it once on a particularly good day.

Thanks to all those who have responded. I am glad to hear that as you grow older, you learn to deal with/ignore the sensory issues better. One of you said that you had difficulty with friends. looking back, what do you think were the reasons for this and what could you have done to keep your friends?

My situation was alot like League Girl's. I don't mind very large gatherings, but I think that's only because you stand out less in large crowds. It's less likely for somebody to strike up a conversation. I hate medium small crowds because I know that I will have to engage in alot of small talk. I was actually very social at 5 years old. It wasn't until my teens that alot of AS traits began to manifest.

I can't remember how sensitive to sounds I was at 5, but I hate things like loud music and talking now. Even the sound of the vacuum cleaner annoys me as I'm running it. It's tolerable for me but it's an annoyance.

I can't really say what I would have wanted my parents to do differently. My family members and few friends knew that I was "weird" even if they couldn't place a word on it those days. Luckily I had alot of loving, supportive family members around me. They always just accepted me as me. It sounds like you are very supportive as well, but I wouldn't try too hard to find an "answer" to your "problem" so much. If your son's situation is the same as mine, will you have a hard time in his teenage years? That's very likely. Be supportive of his differences and he should be fine later on. I probably would have turned out more antisocial then I am had my differences been treated as a "condition to be cured" at that time.

There is variation. Over the past twenty odd years, I have added some and others have faded; Number 1 Son has grown into some, out of others. Ditto for my wife.

I doubt any of it is predictable. There has for me always been a pattern of sensitivity, but the pattern changes.

It is difficult to say how much is building defenses - my egg issues are less because nobody is forcing me to eat at least a bite of hard-boiled egg.

Hi,

I see that quite a few of you are describing yourself as "weird" or different. Is it just a perception of self or do others concur with you. If you realize what you are doing differently from others, can't you just fake it and do what is expected? Is that what the social skills classes are supposed to teach? Would my son benefit from social skills classes at 5 or should I wait till he is 10? Other that being a bit loud and over excited when kids come over, and not liking to lose at games, I can't see any other differences at this point in time.

Mine are worse as I age . I cannot tolerate much at this point. But then I got very little help.

It may be partly a way you perceive yourself, but at a certain point you can tell you're different. Some things just stand out too much. I personally didn't notice it until I was about 10-13 years old.

As far as faking things, alot of people with AS seem to do that pretty well. The reason I have repetetive responses to certain things is because my responses are trained. Your son's best "social skills classes" may just be living life. I didn't have social skills classes. The small amount of social skills I have were learned by being forced into social situations my entire life.

Welcome to the board!

In a simple answer to your question of whether symptoms can increase with age; yes on some, no on others. I think that some my sensory issues got stronger as I aged. Probably the most increase was between ages 25 and 40. Prior to that, I wasn't as bothered by sudden noises, or loud TV shows, etc. Now something like a doorbell or a telephone ringing, will do a "control-alt-delete" on my brain, and I hate it! I have always disliked and avoided touch (i.e. hugging, petting, or patting on the shoulder). To me, such a thing feels like what others might feel when cornered and attacked. I can control the reaction of freezing up and wincing from a "warm, welcoming contact", when necessary to be polite, but I still hate it! This does not apply to advances from my wife, LOL, although I don't like it if she suddenly touches me when I haven't notice she is near. Hypersensitivity to light has probably neither increased nor decreased since childhood. I've always needed sun glasses, and I can't use a computer or watch TV if the brightness is set at a "normal"; it's too dazzling and distracts me from the content of what I'm reading or watching. Any sudden changes in lighting can trigger a physical response (an opthalmic migraine event), or an emotional one (unfounded panic).

On crowds, they're OK if they're quiet and mature. A church or or a car show, or a theater crowd is fine. But a concert or a party....... I'd rather volunteer for experimental surgery without anesthetic!

On special interests (as your son's trains), and odd behaviors and needs, mine have always been about the same. Only difference is that as a middle-aged businessman, I have trouble explaining to neighbors and friends why I need a Cold War air raid siren mounted out back of the house, and need to blow it every last Friday of the month.... Hearing the monthly test of the Civil Defense sirens in Los Angeles in the 1970s, was a routine for me, and I for some reason still need to hear that sound, even though the Cold War is over, and the sirens have been disconnected since Jan 9, 1986. And my tenants in a small apartment building that we own, scratch their heads as to why I have a dozen Toyota cars and trucks from the 1980s with Diesel engines, all nice and licensed, and restored but I won't drive them in case something might happen to them. Such is the case with Autism and Asperger's special interests, LOL...

On the question of what my family could have done differently: They could have done as you are doing for your son by writing on this forum, and been open to figuring out what may be the case with me. In my case, I went misdiagnosed for 30 years!! !! ! Everything from paranoid schizophrenia, to learning disabilities, to add, adhd, and just about anything else that they could order a pill for. Even a 7-month stay at a mental hospital when I was 9. All in good will, but all in error. Acceptance, and the willingness to pursue an accurate diagnosis is what I would have asked. Above all, I wish they had not forced the "peer interaction" thing on me. I didn't have anything in common with other children, and had no desire to befriend any. The forced peer interaction was just a cause for further bullying and teasing, and it was a waste of their time and my livelihood.

Since I'm in no way qualified to offer any opinions on what your son's situation may or may not be, I will only offer a casual observation that it sounds like your son may have either a very minor case of Asperger's, or may not be on the Autism spectrum at all. Not being routine-oriented and liking crowds, is very significant as contraindicating an Autism diagnosis, based on all I've experienced and read. I avoided eye contact with everyone; not just authority figures, and I was always routine-oriented. I would go ballistic if any routine were to be altered even a little bit, from infancy! Has anyone suggested that he may just be straight ADD or ADHD? There are so many theories and possibilities.

If indeed it is A.S. or High Functioning Autism, he will very likely develop friendships with older adults, which can alarm some modern-day parents for obvious reasons. Take comfort in knowing that not all of those situations are perverted, and when I was a teenager, I never had any friends under age 65 or so. And none was a molester. They were just good people; parents of grown & gone children, with whom I seemed to have an easier time communicating. They had things going on of interest to me, as I was never into playing ball or goofing off with other kids. I was happier sitting at a workbench fooling with an old radio, or working on an engine, or stuff that typically you won't find a 12-year-old or 14-year-old to share with.

Charles

I'm in my 30s. I had severe sensory issues as a child, to the point that many activities were either uncomfortable or impossible for me. I am happy to say that most of my sensory issues have greatly improved. I still struggle with repetitive noise, and touching metal or paper - and the sounds of anything brushing against metal or paper. But that is nothing compared to what I struggled with as a kid.

Thanks for responding folks and thanks for the detailed insight kx250rider. The clinical psych said that what tipped her over from the ADD to AS diagnosis was answers that my 5 yr old (5 years, 1 month) gave to questions like "what are friends like" and "what do you know about marriage" . I think she was using ADI-R and my son got a 2 for insights into relationships which took the social and emotional relationships score to 8 vs a cut-off of 7 for AS. 6 and below is supposed to be normal.

I am not sure what kind of insights a 5 year old can have about friendships and marriage but she was looking for answers like "marriage can be tough", kids can be a lot of work etc...my 5 year old talked about how he wanted kids and how he would like to take care of them ) The wife was not mentioned at all...

He said friends are friends and that he liked friends..apparently 5 year olds need to have more insight. I am not sure about that.

For me sensory issues have increased with age and so have a lot of other things.

The reason some people cant just fake social skills is that autism affects far more than social knowledge.

For some know social to be enough to do social.

For other there problem with memory perception recall multitasking initiating moving feeling body etc. Get in way of mimicry.

1. Mine seem to be worse, but I don't know if they are actually worse or if they seem to be because the increased demands of adulthood overload my brain and give it less processing power for dealing with sensory input.
2. I hate them.
3. I would have liked my father to have not assumed so much that my ASD traits were wilful stupidity or done just to annoy him.
I would have liked to have not been made to feel defective for being nonsocial and preferring books. I would have liked a lot less outright nastiness for things that I couldn't help.
It would have helped a lot to be taught basic planning and organisational skills. Being told "you're so disorganised" is not helping.