changing symptoms over time?

[teekv]

made a burner account b/c i need some advice. tl;dr, when i was younger i was extremely social and might have also been sensory seeking, but now i'm really withdrawn and have a lot of sensory issues. what is up with my brain? how do i explain this during my appointment?

i'm going to a psychiatric evaluation soon since my doctor suggested i may have autism. i have a lot of sensory issues, i can eat only a few foods (to the point that i have nutritional deficiencies + am underweight), certain smells really bother me (once had a meltdown over some sauce my parents made), and i'm affected by random sounds more than the people around me (i'll turn to look, they don't). i've also taken some tests online, including the aspie quiz (took that twice, got a 100% and a 99% o_o) and they've all suggested i might have autism. i'm just really confused because my symptoms haven't been consistent, and i'm not sure how the person who's diagnosing me will deal with this :/

apparently when i was younger i was really social, i'd just walk up to strangers and start talking, even if i was in a more private space like a restaurant. i also liked running and climbing around a lot, and i enjoyed really loud parties. i also wasn't as emotional (easily upset) as other kids- when my parents left me at daycare for the first time, i was just like 'okay bye :]' while all the other kids cried. obviously this was really surprising, considering atm i'm really introverted, struggle with talking to strangers, and the thought of going to a party with a bunch of strangers and loud sounds fills me with dread lol (also apparently i took autism self-tests a few years back and they said i didn't have autism ???)

btw my parents have taken me to get diagnosed for mental disorders + my sensory issues before (specifically my picky eating), but since i was social + was doing really good in school, the doctors just told them to wait and it'd go away eventually (it didn't, womp womp)

 

[wards]

Maybe it’s adhd and autism? Welcome by the way.

 

[lovely_darlingprettybaby]

made a burner account b/c i need some advice. tl;dr, when i was younger i was extremely social and might have also been sensory seeking, but now i'm really withdrawn and have a lot of sensory issues. what is up with my brain? how do i explain this during my appointment?

i'm going to a psychiatric evaluation soon since my doctor suggested i may have autism. i have a lot of sensory issues, i can eat only a few foods (to the point that i have nutritional deficiencies + am underweight), certain smells really bother me (once had a meltdown over some sauce my parents made), and i'm affected by random sounds more than the people around me (i'll turn to look, they don't). i've also taken some tests online, including the aspie quiz (took that twice, got a 100% and a 99% o_o) and they've all suggested i might have autism. i'm just really confused because my symptoms haven't been consistent, and i'm not sure how the person who's diagnosing me will deal with this :/

apparently when i was younger i was really social, i'd just walk up to strangers and start talking, even if i was in a more private space like a restaurant. i also liked running and climbing around a lot, and i enjoyed really loud parties. i also wasn't as emotional (easily upset) as other kids- when my parents left me at daycare for the first time, i was just like 'okay bye :]' while all the other kids cried. obviously this was really surprising, considering atm i'm really introverted, struggle with talking to strangers, and the thought of going to a party with a bunch of strangers and loud sounds fills me with dread lol (also apparently i took autism self-tests a few years back and they said i didn't have autism ???)

btw my parents have taken me to get diagnosed for mental disorders + my sensory issues before (specifically my picky eating), but since i was social + was doing really good in school, the doctors just told them to wait and it'd go away eventually (it didn't, womp womp)

This is what happened to me..yes I do think I am autistic but I used to be able to eat many different foods particularly fruits and healthy foods until illness took it away.
Not a lot of sugars and sweets or big portions of those foods. Yes occasionally I could get sugar addicted but the more healthy I ate that seemed fine in terms of also I did not want diabetes and could only eat small portions of chocolate etc like chocolate bars, cake and if I ever overindulged in these things I felt sick and never ate a lot of biscuits etc just liked a good dessert food like a bakery slice and a pie like a sausage roll or even felt like a pasty but had a problem with potato but was always a good tomato sauce fan. Like bakeries for the smell of pies, breads, rolls, crusty French sticks it was one of my favourites, Australian slices, cakes and tarts, bakers delight for their pizza rolls and finger buns
I have some sensory issues in the past like if smelled bad I would know about it and also I did not like too much overpowering scents but just subtle smells.
Like clean sheets, rain, clean clothes, natural body odor that smelled fragrant and clean
Like even sharpie and petrol I would sometimes feel tempted to smell it but no it made me sick.
Buttered popcorn at the movies, the beach.
And sounds only bothered a bit like power tools etc. But some sounds people were like fingers on a chalk board and I'm like I am sure I could tolerate it but the sense of someone breaking their nails to do it was the worst part.
When I was younger also I made lots of friends and found being with others fun but definitely still struggled with geniune connection buy would delight in different people especially nice personalities and get mad at the mean ones.
I had no interest in parties or drinking I tried to go and wanted to go home. I went to several social functions growing up and did not have the best time.
But had the best time having pub meals with my family when I was really young and on holiday and loved primary school blue light discos where we all did the dancing.
I was a homebody who enjoyed some holidays but also felt home sick but also loved to go out for some fun like bowling or shopping or doing something fun.
And often wanted to play with other kids like cousins or friends of my parents or go to bbqs occasionally but my parents had no friends. Or wanted a BBQ but my dad only did it occasionally.
But anyway, hope you sort out your issues and pray for a miracle we both get better and make it through.
I miss the old me.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

Autistic people have personality traits, not symptoms. It's not a disease. It's just a different way of wiring a human being's nervous system.

So it's natural to mature and grow and change over time. And for life experiences to alter how you interact with the world around you.

So yes, there would be changing "symptoms" or personality traits as you grew older.

 

[Rodafina]

Hi @teekv.

It makes sense that what you experience and the skills you seem to have change over time. One thing to consider is the idea that many autistic people can adapt to meet the social expectations that they perceive from those around them. Sometimes, this is called masking. One of the problems with this is that it can take an extraordinary amount of energy and can ultimately lead to negative feelings including anxiety and sometimes, depression or burn out.

Continue getting to know yourself. Young adulthood is a time when so many things are changing and your brain is currently solidifying into what it will be. Most brains are not fully developed until the mid twenties, so it makes sense that you are noticing changes and understanding yourself better as you get older.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

made a burner account b/c i need some advice. tl;dr, when i was younger i was extremely social and might have also been sensory seeking, but now i'm really withdrawn and have a lot of sensory issues. what is up with my brain? how do i explain this during my appointment?

To help explain, (1) your genetics will reveal themselves at different points throughout your life. Your brain and physiology is in a constant state of change and is a normal part of the aging process, (2) there is something called "epigenetic" changes, that is DNA and RNA gene transcription can change with your internal and external environment (what you eat, where you live, built up toxins, etc), your body is relatively adaptable to all sorts of conditions, and (3) there are psycho-social changes that occur as a result of your life experience that may cause you to be more, or less social. This applies to everyone, autistic or not. We are not the same people we were 10 years ago, or 20, or 40.

Furthermore, the autistic brain is often in a "hyper excitable" state due to various neurotransmitter imbalances, and is often under higher oxidative stress. This basically translates to more mental exhaustion. When we are young, autistic or not, we seem to have endless amounts of energy and we are able to mask ourselves better and be more social. When we get to be older adults, it becomes increasingly more difficult, and our brains tend to go into "shut down" mode easier. Which in turn, means we have less tolerance for social interaction, our sensory issues (that we often noticed, but ignored) are pushing themselves into the forefront instead of residing in the background.

Learning how to take care of our brains with nutrition, supplements, good sleep, and pacing ourselves throughout the day will certainly help with living with the condition.

 

[AspieChris]

My situation is almost exactly the same as yours. I was much more social when I was younger. I tried to be like ‘normal’ people and had no clue that anything was different about me. Now I understand myself a bit better and I don’t feel the need to try ‘new’ things because I understand that I won’t enjoy them, and I will likely have a tremendous amount of stress from it.

People like roller coasters, so I convinced myself that I LOVED roller coasters. I would be the first one in line for the craziest roller coaster at whatever place we went to. Then I would go on and on about how awesome it was and the rush I got when it did - whatever.

I don’t like roller coasters. They are scary and stupid. But I hadn’t settled into the person I really am until my mid 20’s. In my 30’s, I would have gone to the theme park and stepped aside when everyone was getting on the ride. In my 40’s, I just started staying home.

Life is a journey. Even for us on the spectrum. Nothing is so simple that it never evolves.