What autistic traits improved for you? Which worsened?

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Throughout my life, i have progressed a lot, i beleive.

When i was a kid, my autism was pretty obvious, even though my parents didnt want to admit anything was wrong.

Overall...
- I used to stim by banging my head on walls, i dont anymore
- I used to meltdown every time i became overloaded by sound, though i am still sensitive, i react differently and can withstand more sound than i could before
- my vocabulary has improved naturally
- my social skills have improved, i no longer bite, kick, or hit people (as much),
- i dont overstay my welcome at peoples house
- i dont talk about sonic unless someone asks
- i listen to people better
- i dont touch a person unless they invite it
- i interrupt people less (even though i still forget to wait my turn)
- my independence has improved
- no one has to tell me to wash myself anymore
- i recently read a novel for the first time

Id say i made progress but there are some things that either got worse or stayed the same
- i never really learned to tie my shoes
- i still cant cook anything too complex or anything with too many steps
- i can only be in crowds for a short amount of time or i will shut down.
- i still cannot handle change, good or bad.
- cannot have long hair, too much care
- spelling is still a struggle
- people have told me that my behaviour is still very odd and my autism is still easy to pick up on, unfortunately i still dont understand how to chAnge my behaviour because i dont know how im off.
-anxiety is the same
- meltdowns have become more dangerous but less frequent
- attention span is the same
- people have told me that i am more tolerable but still not quite socially you know... Good. Rudeness, loud, ect
- i dont like to wash my clothes and i get ridicule for it.
- cant keep a job
- anxiety leaving the house.
- still cant make eye contact

How about you?

I don't meltdown as often, nor do I get as aggressive against myself. Aside from that, nothing's changed much.

I definetly would not have i proved if it wernt for my diagnoses and my family support. Everything i was taught was because of my dad, sister, aunts and many cousins. I think i would be much worse off if i dodnt have them.

Things that have gotten better:

-My social skills have started to improve, I have figured out how to look like I'm listening and in some scenarios I can pass as normal for a short time.
-I basically never melt down even though it used to happen sometimes.
-I have sensory overloads less often.
-I have learned to be more expressive with my voice.
-I can read emotions much better because I researched that kind of stuff while studying character animation.


Things that have not changed or have gotten worse:

-Stimming: I wore gloves for most of last week to stop myself from picking at my hands.
-Executive functioning: it's 1:30 am as I'm typing this and I need to wake up at 8:00 am. 'Nuff said.
-Talking about interests: I still do this too much.
-I don't make eye contact.
-I still interrupt people. (I haven't quite figured out how 3 person conversations are supposed to work.)
-I am often oblivious to sarcasm and non-verbal cues unless it's super obvious.

Mostly language related; speech, and later learning to read and write.

Most of the other symptoms have been about the same. The main difference over the years was increased expectations brought on by an increase in age, which made many symptoms appear to worsen with age.

My improvements are...
- No long term anxiety.
- No sensory overload. Even past NTs' Sensory standards.
- Significant decrease on social exhaustion/mental exhaustion due to prolonged socializing. No worse than a borderline introvert, and I can surpass an extrovert if I'm in a really good mood...
- No meltdowns. Shut downs only happens very specific, very deep, and very sudden.
- A slight improvement on language. This is my weakness and still my weakness.
- No more needs on routines or order. I get bored or just made my life too easier.
- Significant tolerance to change. Unless it's too sudden.
- More subliminal stimming. My special interest on crafting helps.
- Hygiene. I was negligent.
- Gait. Now people think I walk like a model.
- Social Initiative. I'm an ambivert.
- Some of less conscious effort on attaining the social picture or awareness. I still resort to logic from time to time.
- Better at subtile reading... With less conscious effort.

Still the same at...
- Still a fussy eater.
- Short term memory. I sort of hit the ceiling.
- Filtering. I haven't figure how to tune voices in, and noises out.
- Indecision.
- Multitasking and group conversations.

Things that I initially have... Unspecified.
- No clumsiness. Both gross and fine motor.
- Natural eye contact. Even if it was meaningless, it's not a conscious effort.
- Charm. Just... Charm.
- I never talked about my obsessions or special interest to anyone at all, unless asked.
- I have allergy rhinitis with unknown triggers (or rather, it's idiopathic). Whenever it happens, every negative symptom gets worse. And little or no chance of focus that lasts a minute. And no meds for it.

Gained Number Post Count (1).
Lose Time (n).

Lose more time here - Updates at least once a week.

I've pretty much stayed the same but my rocking back and forth, dislike of being touched, and sensory issues have worsened as I've gotten older. I've gotten better at making friends and with eye contact, however.

Better:
- do fewer socially inappropriate things
- have less sensory issues
- am more comfortable sharing things about myself

Worse:
- have more meltdowns
- am more uncomfortable around other people
- this also makes conversations harder, as I'm always feeling uncomfortable

Improved:
-really obvious stimming (I don't flap my arms anymore)
-not being able to "read the air" and know when I'm making people uncomfortable
-being too honest (I got in trouble for this a lot when I was little)

Worsened:
-lack of eye contact
-anxiety (about a lot of things)
-need for routine
-inability to start conversations and make friends

Improved: Social skills and understanding of when to approach and when not to - and how NOT to do it.
Worse: Less tolerance of contact and contact demands.

Traits that have improved: Stimming (although it's more that I only stim in private now unless I am really anxious). I used to stim openly in the school playground, clapping my hands repeatedly and running around in circles. That soon got bullied out of me!

General social skills such as tact and not just blurting my thoughts out randomly.

Understanding that not everybody is interested in what I am obsessed with.

Personal hygiene-I now wash thoroughly every day and am in the habit of smelling my clothes before I go out to ensure that I am not smelling of B.O

Traits that have remained the same: My inability to make eye contact-it's just something I've never been able to do.

My emotional immaturity and lack of ability to regulate my emotions leading to a lot of emotional breakdowns.

I am still really clumsy and still struggle with my short term memory and executive functioning skills.

Traits that have worsened: The main one is my anxiety. I have become so much more anxious over the past ten years or so. I worry about pretty much everything that it's possible to worry about and I feel so much less comfortable in social situations now than I did as a kid.

Self harm-I tend to bite and scratch myself when I am anxious or angry which I never used to do as a kid.

My shutdowns are a lot more frequent now although that's probably down to more being expected of me.

Better:
Understanding motives of other people, although my skills are still not good.

Saying the "appropriate" thing such as "sorry for your loss" even though I have no idea why people say that. The person did not lose the person who died, usually they died on thier own.


Worse:
Noise sensitivity
Having people I do want or expect around.
Executive functioning