Asperger’s Syndrome: Adult Traits

“From the outsid looking in,

it’s hard to understand.

From the inside looking out,

it’s hard to explain.”

Asperger’s syndrome is part of the autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is labeled as a mild form of autism (also known as high-functioning autism) and generally manifests without extreme mental disabilities. The main outward characteristics of someone with asperger’s syndrome are poor social skills, lacking nonverbal communication, and being clumsy.

No two people experience asperger’s syndrome (AS) in quite the same way. You may have only a few of these symptoms, or you may experience all of them at different times. Let’s have a look at some of the better known and common AS traits in adults.

Emotional Traits

• High to extreme levels of anxiety or autonomic arousal from a young age (panic, palpitations, hyperventilation, etc)
• Tendency to become depressed or despondent from an early age
• Often switches rapidly between utter elation/ joy and anger or despondence
• Inability to understand emotional issues. Nonliteral problems – that is, things that cannot be seen – may evade their logical ways of thinking
• Cares a great deal and often has a higher than usual level of empathy but struggles to access, express or communicate such compex and overwhelming emotion
• Unusually deep, sensitive, curious or psychologically withdrawn from a young age
• High-anxiety or shyness can be misread by others as being rude, cold or uninterested
• Appears avoidant due to heightened levels of anxiety or hypersensitivity
• Prone to emotional meltdown, shutdowns, burnout, chronic fatigue
• Can often develop symptoms similar to PTSD due to sensory, emotional or social traumas that were dismissed, unrecognized or ridiculed at the time of occurrence
• Lifestyle anorexia. Due to an innate feeling of being somewhat faulty, broken or burdensome by the time adulthood is reached often those on the spectrum may deprive themselves of joy, rewards, pleasure, etc. this is another sign of low self-worth and professional help should be sought to rebalance these unrealistic concepts
• A tendency towards feeling extreme guilt even when they are not fault. This constant guilt and low self-worth can lead to self-deprivation and self-punishment
• Extremely passionate and driven, but also extremely stubborn and resistant to change.
• May appear to be disobedient or unwilling to cooperate due to overwhelm
• Exaggerated emotional response. Adults with AS may struggle to cope with emotional situations, feelings of frustration, or changes in pattern

Sensory Traits

• Sensory Processing Disorder is commonly associated with those on the spectrum
• Will often have fluctuating sensory needs; alternates between an extreme need/ yearning for sensory input/ stimulation (sensory seeking/hyposensitivity) to being overwhelmed and resisting or avoiding stimulation or sensory input (sensory avoidance/hypersensitivity)
• Clothing choices dependant on sensory needs. Often very particular about fabrics, textures, tags, necklines, colour choices, etc. dresses for comfort rather than fashion
• Can negatively react to synthetic, chemical or unnatural smells, fabrics or other sensory stimulants. Has a tendency to magnetise towards pure or natural products for this reason
• Synaesthesia; ability to feel or taste colours, see visual auras, etc
• May have an ability to feel or sense energy. Some people on the spectrum even communicate through energy when other means are inaccessible to them
• May experience inner-ear buzzing or humming when beginning to become overloaded
• Visual disturbances, sensitive eyes, aura migraines or „visual snow“ are commonly reported
• Often affected greatly by weather, seasons or moon cycle
• Particular aversion to loud noiuses, particular pitches of sound, particular people or certain places that make them uncomfortable
• May have a fear of public toilets due to sensory overload (hand dryers, flushing toilets, etc.)
• May struggle with temperature regulation (gets overly hot or overly cold even when the weather isn‘t extreme)
• Selects clothing and blankets based on weight and comfort as opposed to warmth or style
• May be a very picky eater with few preferred foods
• May struggle to settle body down enough for restful sleep
• Abnormal response to sensory stimuli. This can be hypersensitivity (over-sensitivity) or hyposensitivity (under-sensitivity) to sensations. Examples include excessively touching people or objects, preferring to be in the dark, or deliberately smelling objects

Social Traits

• May feel like becoming whoever their around most
• May constantly rehearse conversations or interactions
• May feel as though they are always on stage
• May have a few close friends not many acquaintances
• May see the world literally and in black and white
• May struggle with other people breaking rules
• First-person focus. Adults with AS may struggle to see the world from another person’s perspective. They may have a hard time reacting to actions, words, and behaviors with empathy or concern

Behavioral Traits

• May often fidget; chew; tap; spin; flapping hand; summing etc. as a way of self-soothings
• Repetitive behaviors is a common symptom of ASD
• May get more or less upset at something than is “appropriate”
• May be very involved in specific hobbies or interests
• May struggle to adjust when plans change without warning
• May have routines that don’t seem to have a real purpose
• May struggle in situations that are unfamiliar
• May have motor coordination difficulties and appear clumsy
• Obsession. It’s not uncommon to have hyperfocus as a symptom of AS. It’s usually toward a specific topic. They may have a deep understanding and vast vocabulary related to this topic. They may also insist on talking about it when engaging with others

Communication Traits

• May experience pain or discomfort during eye contact
• May struggle to keep track of a fast conversation
• May struggle with “small talk” conversations
• May take jokes very literally, and not understand teasing
• May miss sarcasm or subtleties while others are speaking
• May prefer to communicate over text or e-mail
• May not understand why blunt honesty is seen as rude
• May have speech difficulties. It’s not unusual for adults with AS to have “stiff” (sometimes referred to as “robotic”) or repetitive speech.
• May have difficulties moderating their voice for environments. For example, they may not lower their voice in a library
• May have exceptional verbal skills. Adults with AS may have typical to strong verbal skills. This may translate to greater vocabulary skills, especially in areas of interest
• May not pick up on nonverbal cues from others, such as hand gestures, facial expressions, or body language

„Why fit in when you were born to stand out?“