A doctor has shared the most common signs of autism he sees in adults, including difficulty with social situations and the need for routine
A doctor has shared a list of the most common signs of autism in adults – that some people may have without even realising. The doctor explained that autism is not just a childhood condition, and signs may become noticeable in adulthood.
Doctor O’Donovan, who has a medical degree (MBBS), Masters Degree (MRes) in Ageing and Health, and PhD (DPhil) in Digital Education, shares information and advice with his almost 400k subscribers on YouTube . In one video, he explained the different signs of autism.
Dr. O’Donovan said: “It is important to flag that autism is not just a childhood condition many adults live with autism, sometimes without realising it. Common signs in adults include social challenges so it might be hard to understand what others are thinking and feeling or you might feel very anxious in social situations.
“Making friends can also be difficult and you might prefer being alone, you might also have literal thinking so you might take things very literally so phrases like ‘break a leg’, meaning good luck, might be confusing.
“You might also find a strong need for routine so having the same routine every day can be very important and changes in this can cause a lot of anxiety, but again this can overlap with other conditions.”
According to the NHS, these are the main signs of autism:
- finding it hard to understand what others are thinking or feeling
- getting very anxious about social situations
- finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on your own
- seeming blunt, rude or not interested in others without meaning to
- finding it hard to say how you feel
- taking things very literally – for example, you may not understand sarcasm or phrases like “break a leg”
- having the same routine every day and getting very anxious if it changes
Other signs of autism might also include not understanding social “rules”, such as not talking over people, avoiding eye contact, getting too close to other people, or getting very upset if someone touches or gets too close to you.
You might also notice small details, patterns, smells or sounds that others do not, have a very keen interest in certain subjects or activities, or like to plan things carefully before doing them.