A leading psychologist has revealed the common habits that could indicate you have undiagnosed autism.
Dr. Kim Sage, 56, a California-based psychologist, says undiagnosed autism in adults is common and she only realized she probably had the condition a few years ago.
In the United States, more than 5.4 million adults, or 2.21 percent, have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, autism rates are increasing and diagnoses are becoming more common in younger adults.
A study by Rutgers suggests that a quarter of adolescents with autism go undiagnosed and remain unconscious into adulthood.
Dr. Sage says one of the most obvious telltale symptoms is “rating”: repetitive body movements or behaviors.
While autism-related stimming is often associated with severe behaviors, such as head banging and rocking back and forth, the mental health expert says it can present itself in more subtle ways.
In a TikTok video, she says constantly twirling your hair is a common example of stimulation, as is playing with jewelry, such as a pendant on a chain.
He then says that repeatedly playing with a soft blanket is another thing that can bring comfort to autistic people, while pen caps are often another source of fascination.
Psychologist Dr Kim Sage says undiagnosed autism in adults is common and she herself only realized she probably has the condition a few years ago.
However, two bad habits that stimulators can develop, says Dr. Sage, are scratching their skin and biting their nails.
The graph above shows increases in autism diagnoses from 2011 to 2022 by age group, according to research published earlier this year in JAMA Network Open.
The last three repetitive habits discovered by the psychologist are mouth sounds, tapping your nails, and listening to the same song or sounds over and over again.
Dr. Sage says that everyone is stimulant to some degree and that “doing this doesn’t make you autistic.”
But, he adds, “among autistic people, stimulation can be very calming and regulating.”
The Drake Institute of Neurophysical Medicine in California notes that “basically, autistic stimulation helps cope with feelings of anxiety, boredom, or excitement.”
Like Dr. Sage, he notes that priming is a “common activity even in non-autistic people.”
In autism, priming behaviors vary from person to person, and some people with autism may not have any.
Experts say that autistic stimulation “is often used when a person is overstimulated by things they cannot control or when they are understimulated, or to reduce pain or to calm themselves.”
In most cases, they say that stimming is not dangerous for the autistic person but rather is a calming behavior.
Autistic people need to calm down more than others, as they often feel extremely overwhelmed by situations, emotions or thoughts.
However, sometimes stimming can negatively affect children, teens, and adults alike, as bystanders misinterpret it and mistake it for intentionally aggressive behavior.
Dr. Sage emphasizes that everyone stimulates to some degree and “doing this does not make you autistic.”
Experts warn that some of the stimulating behaviors, especially head banging, kicking and excessive skin scratching, can cause physical injury to the autistic person.
Additionally, this obsessive, antisocial behavior can “draw the child’s attention inward, making interaction with others even more difficult.”
Treatment for “bad” stimulation typically involves behavioral therapies, environmental changes, stress-reducing tools, and even medications.
In some cases, stimulation can persist into adulthood and be harmful, but therapy can also help reduce symptoms in adults.
In her other TikToks, Dr. Sage reveals other behaviors to watch out for when it comes to autism.
In one clip, she says that some of the telltale signs that you might be an undiagnosed autistic adult include: “you’ve always been labeled as highly sensitive, you’re chronically hypervigilant and anxious (and) you feel like an alien, especially in social situations.” “. ‘.
In this sense, he highlights that socializing is “often very stressful” and that it takes “a lot of recovery time” afterwards.
Socializing can be stressful for autistic people because they may have trouble interpreting social cues and navigating the complexities of social interactions.
This, in turn, can lead to feelings of anxiety, confusion, and exhaustion, which can be exacerbated when dealing with large crowds or unfamiliar situations.
Instead, Dr. Sage says autistic people might prefer to spend more time alone or be with one person at a time.
Research has shown that there is a high correlation between having autism and developing autoimmune diseases.
On this topic, Dr. Sage says this could mean that as an undiagnosed autistic adult, you could suffer from a variety of health problems including allergies, autoimmune connective tissue disorders, chronic pain, and gastrointestinal problems.
Finally, he ends the video by highlighting how autism is often misdiagnosed.
Some of the common conditions it’s confused with, he says, include bipolar disorder, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Previously, autism was divided into different diagnoses, including Asperger syndrome, autistic disorder, Kanner syndrome, childhood autism, atypical autism, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS).
As each diagnosis shared characteristics of autism, they were replaced within autism spectrum disorder, which is now the umbrella term for the group.
When it comes to treating adults with autism, there are several approaches that can help address individual needs and challenges.
Treatment options may include psychotherapy and counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), social skills training, and occupational therapy.