Has your Aspergers/autism worsened with age or diagnosis?

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Has either age or diagnosis worsened your aspergers/autism?

I know it says somewhere that it gets better but I went to a normal school and am now isolated, making my aspergers worse..

I’m not sure if mine has gotten worse, or if it is quarantine/isolation/work and school from home that has worsened my social skills.

After a long time unemployed, Asperger's worsened

But you can't measure Asperger's

It could just be age

Not a controlled experiment

My social skills have gotten so much better over the years, but my ADHD has worsened.

Mine gets a lot "worse" when I've not had to deal with others for a time. It's like being able to relax finally, but then others get cranky about it and I have to put the mask back on.

I was diagnosed early and had never even heard the word autism before, so I doubt that changed a thing for me. Not entirely sure if it has gotten worse over time, become more apparent with life changes and changing expectations, or some combination thereof. I did well in school with my stereotypical Aspie memory, and I have always tried to do whatever I can to avoid drawing attention to myself in public, not “masking” but essentially being invisible, so people see me enough to not run into me or sit in a chair I’m in but otherwise as far as everyone else is concerned, I may as well not exist. So probably I wasn’t quite so blatantly obvious and didn’t have as much trouble from it when I was younger, and it became more of a problem when the expectation was no longer just get good grades and lie low. I don’t think I’ve made a successful life transition on time since starting school, that is usually when it is most apparent for me (puberty, college, working, living on my own, etc.). When I was a kid I fully expected to grow up, live independently, and have a good job just like most people, but as it grew nearer, it became clear that it wasn’t going to happen, quite likely ever.

I maxed out / peaked about 20 years ago. Now I don't push myself to be anything or anyone that I'm not. I keep simple routines in my own space with a lot of time to relax and stim. I don't make any social commitments. It's all very good, but if I had to spend a day in the outside world I'd have a very hard time adapting.

I started ADHD meds in spring 2020 and they've helped a lot - not with the social / sensory aspects of autism, but with my overall clarity and motivation.

I feel I've got better in some ways and worse in others. I was diagnosed at 3 and used to have a really high pitched voice and repeated everything my parents said. I grew out of it eventually thankfully before I started school. As a child I hardly had any social anxiety and didn't mind family gatherings. As an adult I hate them. I guess because as a child I wasn't expected to socialise.

Yes, mine has worsened.
I'd say I've been on a downhill slide since around the age of 35.

At first I thought the issue was that having discovered I was on the spectrum I was thinking about it more and so it was becoming more obvious. But now I'm nearly 4 years post-diagnosis and still struggling with either worsening autism (severely limited ability to socialise and more meltdowns) and/or mental health issues (as I find it hard to tell where autism ends and mental illness begins).

I think it might be from a combination of the stress of being expected to handle adult responsibilities (I have 2 children and a job, and struggle somewhat to manage both), and having lower energy reserves as I get older.

I read a paper recently which studied autistics over time and found overall improvement in functioning.
But when I checked the details, it only followed autistic children up to the end of the teenage years.
Nobody bothers to check what happens to us autistic adults as we get older.

With age and experience I have fewer meltdowns and can mostly avoid them and the reckless behaviour of my youth.

I was very late diagnosed so I dont know what my life would have been like if I had understood myself and my differences earlier in life.

But with age I just find myself caring less what other people think of me. I have stopped (not completely) being anxious about trying to fit in. I find I am happier as a result. But then I am lucky and do not atm either have or need a job.

I was a raging autistic upon diagnosis at age 3.

I’ve consistently “gotten better” since.

I still have a long ways to go, though.

I'm guessing it depends on life conditions, stress, and how well you're able to (or how well your environment allows you to) take care of yourself.

Isolation can be one thing that attenuates social skills. Also stress, if you're under enough strain the surface layer stuff gets jettisoned in favor of survival and at that point you end up in a position where it will seem like there are much bigger problems at hand than being able to 'pass for NT'.

It seems like our strategies and maps of reality, at least for most of us, improve as we get older and the question ends up being then how many factors are moving in the opposite direction and do they overpower that.

I think in a way it has gotten worse for me. The sensory stuff seems worse, and the social stuff seems worse and harder to handle but it could be that I'm in less tolerant circumstances right now so it is making it more difficult.

I got a job in a little more of a "professional environment" and it has been very very difficult, I feel like my social skills have taken a real nose dive. Lots of meltdowns especially at home. I come home and practically barricade myself in blankets. I am learning that a more chill environment helps me do better because I'm not so nervous trying to act correctly. Hopefully my next job will be more like that.