AS and "Angelic" Faces

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I'm reading Tony Attwood's complete guide to AS and I noticed his strange facial description of men with AS. He describes their faces as having "angelic" features and usually "symmetrical" (which at least as a positive is inherently attractive from an evolutionary perspective). I've heard elsewhere that people with AS often have younger looking faces...

Anyone know why?
Could it be that the same malfunction that delays neurological development in AS also delays maturation of facial features?

I think so.
I made a thread before on aspies and whether or not people think we're neotenous, most responded with saying they are younger looking than their chronological age. I've seen this reported in many other places as well.
I'd say its a genetic thing and maybe even one with an evolutionary background of some sort

Mine isn't symmetrical, but I do look younger than I am.

Over in the neotenous thread someone said that they had read elsewhere a theory that it's due to aspies using less facial expressions over the years, which uses the facial muscles less, therefore keeping them from developing characteristic wrinkles.

I would further hypothesize that we often do not spend as much time out in public in the sun (which is very aging).

I am 29 but look maybe 20 with a beard, and 15 without one. Have no idea about symmetry of my face though.

Not really true in my case. I don't look angelic and my face isn't simetrical lol

I have a very deadpan face. My mom says I mostly display emotion in my eyes and even that is slight. Have never heard that I look angelic, but lots of times people think I have a serious or sad expression. I appear to have a big nose and small chin, so I don't know about it being symmetrical. People think I look more like 11 or 12 rather than 15.

My 6-yr-old son looks about 3 years old and is just flat-out stunningly handsome. His photo was briefly my profile pic on Facebook and many people commented on it when they communicated with me. His eyes are huge with long lashes and his face is heart shaped with very symmetrical features. Granted, he is not an aspie but moderately to severely autistic. He also, like Ezra states, has a very serious facial expression as if he is pondering on some great unsolved mystery of the Universe ! He smiles with his whole face (as in, his smile is warm and reaches his eyes). He normally does not make eye contact but when he does, his gaze is very steady and penetrating, and he appears to look right into your soul. Most people who meet him for the first don't realize that he is different until he begins a vocal / visual stim.

It is really heartbreaking for me that such a "handsome little fella" (as his ped calls him) should have so many developmental delays. His features are so even, so regular and so symmetrical that one would never think that anything was even remotely "off". That gives me hope, but it also causes me a lot of pain. Why would such a good looking child have so many challenges ?? It just doesn't make any sense. What evolutionary purpose could possibly be served by giving such attractive features to a child so severely autistic ?? If anything, it is a disservice to him as he may eventually attract the wrong kind of attention and place himself in harm's way.

I think even the Universe screws up sometimes

I dont know if mine fits the word "angelic", but I think I have some of the other aspects, maybe... not entirely sure.

I've been called "androgynous", "feminine", or just "pretty" at times, which seems a bit odd, but I like those terms well enough, and nobody seems to ever guess my age correctly at all. Though obviously someone actually trying to guess it only happens every so often; I've often wondered what people that see me assume my age to be (provided they care, of course).

And I've always kinda figured that some of the reason, at least for the age part (not sure about the other bits) is that I indeed am not very expressive. On rare occasions I can be, but most of the time, my expression is very blank, particularly as I am easily bored.

I look like this:



That photo is craptasmal, which is a word I made up just now, but it works well enough and is usually the one I show.

I dunno about the term "angelic", which seems kinda an odd term to me (not entirely sure what it means), but maybe the "neotenous" bit might apply, I'm not really sure. But yeah, that's been my experience from what people have told me when commenting on my appearance.

I love the word craptasmal, that's awesome! I often say craptastic.

Based on your photo I can understand the androgynous comments - with shorter hair I might guess male but with the longer hair as it is in that photo I might guess female. Either way I wouldn't guess 33 years old, I'd guess more like 25.

I also always have a very serious look on my face. And I usually look like I"m staring through something and instead seeing into my own little world.

never especially angelic but definitely child-like in terms of having persistent roundness in the face.

Yeah, I'm male despite the long hair. I'm never entirely sure how apparent this is, IRL. Well, until I say something.

I kinda like the idea of having an androgynous appearance, so that works out well enough. Unless I managed to not fully shave quite right on a particular day. I hate shaving. And all razors. And everything to do with any of that. Ugh.


And I understand what you mean about that last bit. I'm pretty sure I have that same sort of expression most of the time. I'm very spacey and absentminded. It can be a bit annoying.

I can definitely tell you're male, and in person I'm sure it's even more obvious, but was just agreeing with your comment that you've heard androgynous before. I've always had long-haired males in my life though so maybe that makes it easier for me to differentiate.

I do sometimes feel like I come off as spaced out or stoned or something but to be honest, that's how I "passed" all through my high school years - I happened to become a huge rock/metal music fan around that time and began wearing jeans and concert t-shirts as my "uniform" and people began to just assume that I was a music-stoner since there were a bunch of those in my school anyway. It was easier to just go along with that assumption and let people say "man that girl's burnt!" than argue and say "no I'm sober I just act this way!", ya know?

Problem is, nowadays I have to use prescription eye drops every day, twice a day, and they have the side effect of giving me red eyes and dark circles under them so now I really do always look like I'm stoned or something. It gets me attitude as an adult in a small conservative town. But whatever, I'm sure most people I pass when I'm out and about probably drink a LOT of wine and I don't drink at all so I don't really care what they think about me, or if I have a brief moment of caring I just remind myself that they're probably hypocrites if they're judging what they think I'm up to anyway.

sorry, went off on a tangent. need coffee.

I can see this in my dad--he has never been diagnosed but has a lot of aspie or HFA traits. His look has always been faraway and he always looked really young for his age, as someone said "as if pondering the great mysteries of the universe." I have noted it on pictures of him from childhood til the present. Even now at almost 60, he looks possibly about 10 yrs younger than his age. As i get older, i see the same faraway look in myself on pictures. I don't think about it from day to day but i guess it isn't someone one sees in oneself. I have been told i look younger than my age, but i don't know. I look in the mirror and think i look exhausted sometimes, especially when i have a lot of anxiety.

I think some of the "angelic" look also has to do with our neurology. A friend of mine commented in an unguarded moment once that I had a "purity of soul" that drew people to me. (Either that or pushes them away when i can't figure out how to do social situations less awkwardly.) I think she was referring to the innocence that is common to autistics/aspies. Innocence shows in expression of face and eyes. I have noted this in my extensive study of faces over the years trying to figure out facial expressions and social cues.

This is me at age 50
So Angelic that babies stare at me mesmerized, wild birds land on my hand, and viscous dogs want to lick me.
Its disadvantageous though that Women in their early twenties tried to pick me up until I told them my age, Women of my own age wont even consider me.

^^^I could use a dollop of your comparative youthfulness.