Do AUTISTIC ADULTS appear YOUNGER than their SAME AGE neurotypical peers?

[AO1501]

I was regularly told I look younger than I am - typically mid 30s when I was mid 50s. Same with my daughter who is also on the spectrum, when she hit 40, she was routinely asked for ID when buying beer (18 minimum in the UK).

I don't however think it is that autistic people look younger than their age, I think there is a lot of evidence that aging works somehow differently for us. I don't think it has much, or anything, to do with food choices.

 

[elgat0verde]

A cheeseburger with a Diet Coke is a lot worse than a cheeseburger with a glass of water

Oh I wash down my burgers with soda lol

 

[vergil96]

I was regularly told I look younger than I am - typically mid 30s when I was mid 50s. Same with my daughter who is also on the spectrum, when she hit 40, she was routinely asked for ID when buying beer (18 minimum in the UK).

I don't however think it is that autistic people look younger than their age, I think there is a lot of evidence that aging works somehow differently for us. I don't think it has much, or anything, to do with food choices.

Like mutations? Or nonconformism to trends makes it more difficult for others to place a person in terms of demographics?

 

[Masked Man]

Let's not forget many Autistics may stay at home or indoors more (less radiation from the sun), and smile less and with less other regular expressions shown, so less aging and with fewer wrinkles. I am 57, but appear much younger, closer to thirties at most. And those who appear shyer or less confident may appear younger too, when put in context with the appearance.

Yes, I was going to suggest this as well. Using myself as an example, I feel I look somewhat younger than my age, but I've attributed that to mostly avoiding the sun, and also not drinking excessively or smoking while in school.

 

[Misty Avich]

It's contradictory because you'd have thought the extra stress a lot of autistics typically feel and have in their lives would cause them to age more.

I don't think I look significantly younger for my age. I'm 33 and I might look like I'm somewhere in my 20s but I don't really count that as looking abnormally young for my age, because it's near enough in the same age range and nobody really looks their precise age anyway.
I think it's my behaviours that can make me look younger, like I have restlessness and hyperactivity so I can seem like an energetic teenager. If I didn't have an average-sized adult body I'd probably be mistaken for a child if I had that small, petite size, because of my hyperactivity.

I know a 33-year-old guy with downs syndrome and he literally looks 12, in his face and his body. His mind is around 5.

 

[kenaij]

You don't exactly look like an old fart in your profile pic, I think people are lying to you because they're jealous.

That indeed is a somewhat young looking picture. I`m currently 33 but most of the time people think I`m 40. When they guess on the lower end they think I`m roughly 5 years younger than I actually am. It has been that way for over 10-15 years.
Currently it might be the beard. But I think it mostly comes down to how I act. I`ve also always been told I act and think older than people my age. So when for example the students at work guess my age they mostly guess 40 because I act more like their 40 year old teachers than their 30 something year old teachers. Who are generally very childish.

 

[lovely_darlingprettybaby]

I had been wondering if this is true?

It's just something I had learned from another autistic YouTube influencer as he posted this in a form of a "YouTube SHORT" and I decided to upload my own version of this video in order to shed some light if it is true that autistic adults appear younger than their same age neurotypical peers.

Here's that video for those who don't like watching my YouTube videos

When I was 30, people said I looked not a day past 16
But you can be naive and mature slower and need a lot of guidance making hard decisions.
But in some ways you can be wiser too depending on the situation.

 

[damoisellepeachy]

I’m in my 20s and I’m consistently confused for being younger to the point it actually annoys me. Even though I have heavy eyebags, this doesn’t seem to make me look any older… Although I find it ironic I face so much stress and I don’t really eat that well either yet somehow I still look young

 

[GrownupGirl]

Here's a photo of me taken around 3 years ago on my 46th birthday. What do you think?

 

[GypsyMoth]

I may or I may not be on the spectrum, so take my feedback however you wish.

The last time I was given the 12 & under admission rate I was 22. (No, I did not ask for that rate.) After I was married, I went to the library to get a library card. The librarian handed back my new driver's license with my new, married name on it and said it was a forgery and that she should call the cops because there was no way I was in my mid-twenties!

I did not get a library card that day. (Gee-whiz!)

More recently, I'm happy to say I'm looking more my age! Now instead of guessing 18 years younger than I am, it's 12 years younger. Yeah! (You have no idea how frustrating it is to not be taken seriously by people who dismiss what you say based on how old you look. Although, what I have to say is age-appropriate and often catches the considerate person's attention.)

 

[MildredHubble]

I'm not diagnosed ASD but as others have said, I strongly believe I'm on the spectrum. I have mentioned this before in other threads but I have often been mistaken for being much younger than I am. It does seem with me, to correlate with how slim in looking. Right now I'm slowly loosing the medication induced weight I've put on so I guess I will see if I'm still pass as being much younger lol!

About 3-4 years ago I would constantly get asked for ID when buying things like energy drinks or lottery tickets. It could be rather annoying at times but kinda flattering too. However I often get talked down to by younger but older looking people which I find a bit irritating. Getting some cliche life advice from someone 10-15 years younger is not something I enjoy, particularly when you've been around the block enough times to know they are talking crap.

 

[SusanLR]

I've always been told I look younger than my actual age.
I'm 66 and just a week ago the cashier at a department store said she didn't want to offend me, but could I possibly be a senior? If so, there was a discount.
I told her I am 66, so I should be a senior.
She said, "God bless you. You sure don't look it."

I would think a depressive anxiety filled life and physical ailments would cause faster aging.
Plus, I've always been in a lot of sun. Fishing in the sea and going to outdoor car shows burnt me to a crisp.
Never had a skin cancer either. Rarely used sunscreen.

Maybe we do age differently. Or perhaps the non-conformist personality, as mentioned in another post, permeates our body and keeps us younger appearing.

 

[Jonn]

Do AUTISTIC ADULTS appear YOUNGER than their SAME AGE neurotypical peers?​

Yes, for various reasons.

One being our lack of social articulation.
Part of this is due to having few friends and/or lacking positive feedback when engaging in social intercourse.

Another is the result of an undeveloped section of the brain that NTs have when they are biologically mature.
This component seems to be significantly important in the pursuit of a breeding partner.

"When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. — 1 Corinthians 13:11, King James Version."
Those on the spectrum tend to hold onto their "childish things" (behaviours) for much longer.

My assessment is that this lack of "maturity" in the brain causes a diminished interest in "The mating game".
I have observed over decades that for many on the spectrum, the social hierarchy rat race, with the intention of securing an "appropriate" mate, isn't a particularly strong interest in many.

Many on the spectrum, when taking an "age test", find that their scores are much younger than their actual chronological age.
I am in my sixties, but my test suggests I have a mental age of how I actually see myself, I.E., 35 years of age.
I see this as "Chronological age dysphoria".

Understanding Age Dysphoria: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Age dysphoria, also known as age identity disorder, is a condition where individuals experience distress or discomfort due to a discrepancy between their perceived age and their chronological age. This condition can significantly impact a person's mental well-being and overall quality of life.

https://naomedical.com/info/understanding-age-dysphoria-causes-symptoms-treatment.html
Personally, I don't know what the fuss is all about.
I will continue to do my "thing" in my own way regardless.

 

[Luca]

I'm taking a break from posting in threads but I will make a huge exception for this one, because I talk about this on here all the time and it affects my self-esteem on some level too.

I'm close to 30, but I objectively look young, probably about 16-20. I get asked for an ID for things that most adults probably wouldn't, and in situations where my (younger) peers don't. Including R-rated movies (17+ in the US.)
I've been refused entry to, or kicked out of, bars because they genuinely did not believe that my license/ID was real. One person said I looked too young to drive (I was 21 at the time.) Another bartender laughed in my face and said "You were NOT born in 1994."
Just the other day, I was at a ferry terminal buying a ticket, and I was asked if I was in high school (because then I would have to pay less.) I did not take advantage of the system and was honest, though.

I have never been able to come to a reasonable conclusion as to whether or not it's an autistic thing, but I do frequently wonder if I have some sort of physical/structural developmental delay. I'm also 4 foot 11, I am incredibly short for an adult woman.
Sorry if this is TMI, but my body is appropriately developed for someone my age (and I was able to have periods, etc), but my face doesn't seem to have developed in an age-appropriate way, and I'm extremely short.

A conspiracy theory that someone put in my head once was that, since I'm adopted, maybe I don't know my actual age or birthday. Spooky, but probably not true.

I'm turning 29 in less than two months, and the only place I have any "wrinkles" whatsoever is under my eyes. My same-age peers have wrinkles in their foreheads, around their eyes, and just generally look like how you would expect a 28 to 35 year old woman to look- "mature." Even my friends who are 24-26 look like "real" adults. I don't.
I still look like I'm in high school or undergraduate, but I'm old enough to be married with a family lol (and most people my age are, at least where I live.)

So, yeah, it's very perplexing to me as well, and I think about it basically every time I see anyone who is in my age demographic. Like, "Why don't I look like them? What's wrong with me?"

 

[Jonn]

I've always been told I look younger than my actual age.

This seems to be a "feature" of many on the spectrum.
Behaviour might have something to do with it.

 

[Outdated]

So, yeah, it's very perplexing to me as well, and I think about it basically every time I see anyone who is in my age demographic. Like, "Why don't I look like them? What's wrong with me?"

I never had an issue with looking younger, but I also don't fit John's demographic of being asexual. To me looking younger was an incredible advantage that I still make good use of today.

 

[Luca]

I never had an issue with looking younger, but I also don't fit John's demographic of being asexual. To me looking younger was an incredible advantage that I still make good use of today.

Lol, sometimes I'm scared that if people proposition me they will get arrested! I have already had people tell me I look too young for my girlfriend, which is really funny because I'm 5 years older than her...

 

[Outdated]

Lol, sometimes I'm scared that if people proposition me they will get arrested!

When I was 18 and 19 I looked very young indeed and I discovered that there's a lot of very predatary older women out there, I had a good education.

 

[Luca]

When I was 18 and 19 I looked very young indeed and I discovered that there's a lot of very predatary older women out there, I had a good education.

My girlfriend told me that it is not uncommon in her native country to see 16 year old boys with girlfriends who are in their 30s or 40s. There are, indeed, female sexual predators, it's just not talked about as much, unfortunately. I was sexually abused by adult women (and men), so I know it's true.
Literally any type of person can be a creep...

 

[Luca]

Sorry for derailing this thread btw, I'm not even really supposed to be posting in threads right now anyway. This one just really caught my attention and I felt like I had to say something about my own experience.