[ansonort]

I'm finally recognizing Asperger's symptoms in myself that I have been living with in ignorance since I was a child.

My question is, can the symptom's get worse with age? I ask because I'm aware of an increasing inability to filter out background noise and conversations when I'm speaking to someone in a public area. I thought I might be going deaf, but I don't believe that to be the case.

I also seem to be less able to deal with new situations and environments.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Callista]

It can get worse or better, yes. Most of the time, it gets better because we learn more about how to cope. When it gets worse, it's often because you've become more stressed than usual, and now have fewer mental resources to deal with the flood of sensory input or the challenge of social interaction. Physical illness can also make it harder to deal with autism.

Dramatic changes in symptoms usually only happen during childhood, though. In adulthood, it's usually a matter of what else is making your life harder or easier.

[ansonort]

Originally Posted by Callista

It can get worse or better, yes. Most of the time, it gets better because we learn more about how to cope. When it gets worse, it's often because you've become more stressed than usual, and now have fewer mental resources to deal with the flood of sensory input or the challenge of social interaction. Physical illness can also make it harder to deal with autism.

Dramatic changes in symptoms usually only happen during childhood, though. In adulthood, it's usually a matter of what else is making your life harder or easier.

Thank you for your advice, Callista. Things have been more stressful especially at work just lately so I guess that's why my symptoms seem to be a little worse at present.

ansonort.