The Signs and Symptoms of Autism in Adults
Common signs and symptoms of ASD in adults can include (NHS, 2019):
- difficulty making conversation
- difficulty making or maintaining close friendships
- discomfort with eye contact
- challenges with regulating emotions
- extreme interest in one particular topic
- frequent monologues on the same subject
- hypersensitivity to sounds or smells that do not seem to bother others
- involuntary noises, such as repetitive throat clearing
- difficulty understanding sarcasm or idioms
- lack of inflection when speaking
- limited interest in only a few activities
- preference for solitary activities
- problems reading the emotions of others
- trouble understanding facial expressions and body language
- reliance on daily routines and difficulty dealing with change
- repetitive behaviors
- social anxiety
- superior abilities in a particular field, such as mathematics or other disciplines
- the need to arrange items in a specific order
