Stress?

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I'm pretty sure my boyfriend has AS, but it hasn't been diagnosed yet. While he was at school, he was so incredibly stressed that he was completely wrapped up in his school work, and his symptoms were severe. Now that the semester is over, he's living back with his parents, and his symptoms are a lot less severe, to the point where sometimes he doesn't even seem to have AS anymore. He tends to flip day to day though, depending on his stress level. Can the severity of AS be affected by stress?

I highly disbelieve that the severity of AS is caused by the amount of stress.
It's possible that he can be stressed at one point and lessened his stress when there is less pressure.

The visible appearance of symptoms IS affected by stress.

My son needs to stim and pace and self-calm more when he is stressed. This makes him LOOK more AS.

My husband only melts down when there has been so much stress none of his self-mitigation techniques have time to work. This is the most VISIBLE sign of his AS.

On the parenting board we talk consistently about controlling the child's environment so that they do not experience more stress than they can handle. Stress IS a huge deal in how well AS kids COPE in the real world.

Stressful situations won't make Aspergers worse, but it can mean that the signs are more obvious. I do very badly under stress, and I go from a reasonably well functioning person into a wreck very quickly. Once I have worked myself up into a state of panic I'm very difficult to calm down and I tend to have meltdowns where I can hardly speak. For a day or so after that I revert to comforting behaviour such as wearing a favourite jumper and only eating the food I am most comfortable with and watching certain TV programmes over and over. Your boyfriend has obviously worked through his stress quite well. I think I remember from another thread of yours that you were moving in together? It might be worth finding out what (if anything) can be done to help him when he is stressed so you are well prepared. You could also find out what the triggers are and see if there is anything you can do to stop the situation turning into a meltdown.

Stress itself can't make AS worse, but it causes various symptoms to expand in volume and therefore be more 'present' and more likely to be noticed then usual.
I get totally weird when stressed ( even weirder ).
My body seems to be even more spastic, and there seems to flow electricity through me instead of blood.
My head's stuffed with random info that has no reason to be there at all, useless info, like the number of dishes on the table.
Even more sensitive to sound and light then usual, Then I become highly unstable and unpredictable, Sensory Overload might occur.
Every now and then I suprise myself by getting a panic attack, for no apparent reason whatsoever.
Getting moodswings so intens that I feel like a stranger in my body when it passes, slipping into derealization for a few days.

Stress makes everything a little more complicated and unpleasant for both Aspie and people around him/her.
Although these symptoms are known to expand when suffering from stress, each person ( AS or not ) reacts differently to a stressfull situation.