7 Signs of Undiagnosed Autism in Adults

Summary

This video script discusses the often-overlooked signs of undiagnosed autism in adults, challenging common stereotypes and emphasizing the importance of recognizing diverse manifestations. The speaker, Paul Mikf, outlines seven key areas to observe, including social interaction difficulties, a need for structure, sensory sensitivities, spiky skill sets, emotional regulation challenges, unusual mental associations, and a general sense of being 'different'. The script aims to raise awareness and encourage understanding of autism's broad spectrum, highlighting the need for support and community among those who identify with these experiences.

Takeaways

• 🧩 Undiagnosed autism in adults is more common than people realize, with increased diagnosis rates in children indicating a growing awareness.
• 🔍 Overreliance on stereotypes can hinder the recognition of autism in adults, as autism manifests in various forms.
• 🤝 Social interaction difficulties, such as understanding peers and navigating social cues, can be a sign of undiagnosed autism.
• 🔄 A need for structure and routine might indicate executive function challenges, which are common in undiagnosed autism.
• 👂 Sensory sensitivities and insensitivities, including unusual responses to light, sound, and pain, can point to autism.
• 📊 A 'spiky' skill set, where individuals excel in some areas and struggle in others, is a characteristic of autism.
• 😡 Emotional regulation issues, such as meltdowns, shutdowns, and withdrawal, are common signs of undiagnosed autism in adults.
• 🔗 Unusual associations and mental jumps in conversation can indicate differences in cognitive processing associated with autism.
• 🌟 Being perceived as 'different' or the 'odd one out' in various social contexts can be a sign of undiagnosed autism.
• 🤔 The video emphasizes the importance of understanding and meeting autistic individuals to gain insight into the spectrum of autism.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is the seven signs of undiagnosed autism in adults and how to recognize them.

Why is it important to recognize autism in adults?

Recognizing autism in adults is important because it helps individuals understand their unique challenges and behaviors, and it can lead to better support and accommodations.

What is one common misconception about autism mentioned in the video?

A common misconception mentioned is the overreliance on stereotypes, which can blind us to other signs of autism that might be obvious in hindsight.

What does the video suggest about the prevalence of autism in children today?

The video suggests that autism is more common than most people think, with statistically one or more autistic children in every classroom.

What is the first sign of undiagnosed autism discussed in the video?

The first sign discussed is difficulties in social interactions, such as finding it hard to understand peers and feeling drained by social processes.

Why might an adult with undiagnosed autism prefer to spend time alone?

An adult with undiagnosed autism might prefer to spend time alone because social interactions can be overly complex and exhausting to process.

What does the video mean by 'need for structure' in the context of autism?

The 'need for structure' refers to the preference for routines and predictability, which can help manage the challenges of executive function and reduce the stress of social unpredictability.

How does sensory sensitivity manifest in adults with undiagnosed autism?

Sensory sensitivity can manifest in various ways, including unusual reactions to light, sound, taste, texture, smell, pain tolerance, temperature regulation, and coordination.

What is a 'spiky skill set' as described in the video?

A 'spiky skill set' refers to the presence of significant strengths in certain areas while having notable difficulties in others, compared to the general population.

What is the significance of emotional regulation challenges like meltdowns, shutdowns, and withdrawals in the context of autism?

Emotional regulation challenges are significant as they are mechanisms used by autistic individuals to cope with overwhelming situations, and they can greatly affect relationships and daily functioning.

What does the video suggest as the simplest yet most powerful sign of undiagnosed autism?

The simplest yet most powerful sign is the overall sense that a person is 'a bit different', which can manifest in various ways and make them stand out as the odd one out.

How can being part of an autistic community help those who are undiagnosed or questioning their autism?

Being part of an autistic community can provide a sense of belonging and understanding, as well as the opportunity to see the signs discussed in the video reflected in real life, which can be validating and enlightening.

What is the potential overlap between signs of autism and ADHD as mentioned in the video?

The video mentions that signs related to structure and sensory sensitivity have a high overlap with ADHD, suggesting that individuals resonating strongly with these signs may want to consider the possibility of an ADHD diagnosis.

What advice does the video give for those who resonate with the signs of autism discussed?

The video advises such individuals to meet and interact with other autistic people, either through communities or in-person meetups, to gain a deeper understanding and potentially find resonance with their experiences.

Outlines

00:00

🧩 Signs of Undiagnosed Autism in Adults

The script discusses the prevalence of undiagnosed autism in adults and the importance of recognizing its signs. It emphasizes the commonality of autism and challenges stereotypes. The video aims to outline seven key areas to look for signs of autism in adults, including social interaction difficulties, need for structure, sensory sensitivities, spiky skill sets, meltdowns and shutdowns, unusual associations, and a general sense of being different. The speaker, Paul Mikf, introduces himself and his channel, 'Autism from the Inside,' which focuses on sharing the human side of autism.

05:02

🔄 Social Interaction and Structure in Autism

This paragraph delves into the first two signs of undiagnosed autism: social interaction difficulties and the need for structure and routine. Social interactions are described as draining for those with autism, often leading to avoidance or appearing awkward. The need for structure is portrayed as both a rigid adherence to routines and, paradoxically, as disorganization when routines are disrupted. These behaviors are framed as coping mechanisms for executive function challenges, highlighting the contrast between the two extremes as indicators of internal struggles.

10:08

🌡 Sensory Sensitivity and Spiky Skill Sets

The third and fourth signs of undiagnosed autism in adults are sensory sensitivity and insensitivity, and having a spiky skill set. Sensory issues extend beyond the typical light and sound to include pain tolerance and coordination, which can manifest as clumsiness. A spiky skill set refers to the presence of exceptional abilities in certain areas contrasted with significant struggles in others, compared to the general population. The paragraph provides personal anecdotes to illustrate these concepts, such as excelling at table tennis despite being a decent but not extraordinary tennis player.

😡 Emotional Regulation Challenges

The fifth sign discussed is emotional regulation, characterized by meltdowns, shutdowns, and withdrawals. These are described as mechanisms to cope with overwhelming situations. The paragraph explains how these behaviors can be binary, with individuals appearing engaged and functional one moment, then suddenly experiencing a breakdown or retreating from the world. It also touches on the impact of these emotional regulation challenges on relationships and the importance of recognizing them as part of the autistic experience.

🤔 Unusual Associations and Being Different

The sixth and seventh signs of undiagnosed autism are unusual associations and mental jumps, and simply being 'a bit different.' Unusual associations refer to the brain making connections that others might not, which can lead to miscommunication or confusion. Being different is described as a general sense of standing out, which can be positive, negative, or neutral. The paragraph suggests that if someone often feels like the 'odd one out,' it could be indicative of autism. It concludes with the speaker's personal experience of feeling at home within the autistic community, where everyone is different in their own ways.

Keywords

💡Autism

Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. In the video, it is the central theme, with the speaker discussing signs of undiagnosed autism in adults, emphasizing its prevalence and the importance of recognizing its various manifestations.

💡Stereotypes

Stereotypes refer to widely held but fixed and oversimplified ideas about a group of people. In the context of the video, the speaker mentions the overreliance on stereotypes as a barrier to recognizing autism in adults, suggesting that autism is diverse and not confined to a single set of characteristics.

💡Social Interaction

Social interaction involves the process of communicating, cooperating, and participating in society. The video describes difficulties in social interaction as a sign of undiagnosed autism, where individuals may find it draining, awkward, or challenging to understand and conform to social cues.

💡Structure and Routine

Structure and routine refer to the organization and predictability in one's life. The script discusses the need for structure as a coping mechanism for individuals with autism, who may find comfort in routines and struggle with unexpected changes or disruptions.

💡Sensory Sensitivity

Sensory sensitivity is an increased responsiveness to sensory stimuli such as light, sound, and touch. The video explains how sensory sensitivity, including both heightened and diminished sensitivity, can be a sign of undiagnosed autism, affecting how individuals perceive and interact with their environment.

💡Spiky Skill Set

A spiky skill set implies a mix of exceptional abilities in some areas and significant struggles in others. The speaker uses this term to describe the uneven distribution of skills often seen in autism, where individuals may excel in certain tasks while finding others extremely challenging.

💡Emotional Regulation

Emotional regulation is the ability to manage and control one's emotions. The video outlines emotional regulation difficulties, such as meltdowns, shutdowns, and withdrawal, as indicators of autism, where individuals may have extreme reactions to stress or sensory overload.

💡Unusual Associations

Unusual associations refer to the tendency to make atypical or unexpected connections between ideas or concepts. The speaker discusses this as a sign of autism, where individuals may have unique thought patterns that can affect communication and understanding.

💡Difference

Difference, in the context of the video, denotes the unique or distinct qualities that set someone apart from others. The speaker concludes by emphasizing that a general sense of being 'a bit different' can be a powerful, albeit elusive, sign of undiagnosed autism.

💡Masking and Unmasking

Masking and unmasking refer to the behaviors of concealing or revealing one's true autistic traits. While not explicitly defined in the script, the video mentions a playlist on this topic, suggesting it as an important aspect of understanding how individuals with autism may present themselves to the world.

Highlights

Undiagnosed autism in adults is more common than perceived, with increasing diagnosis rates especially in children.

Autism manifests in various forms, and relying on stereotypes can hinder recognizing it in adults.

Seven key areas to look for signs of autism in adults are discussed: social interaction, need for structure, sensory sensitivities, spiky skill sets, emotional regulation, unusual associations, and being 'a bit different'.

Social interaction difficulties, such as draining experiences and avoidance, can indicate autism.

A need for structure and routine can be a sign of autism, with both inflexible and chaotic behaviors being expressions of executive function challenges.

Sensory sensitivity and insensitivity, including atypical responses to light, sound, and physical sensations, can be indicative of autism.

Unusual physical coordination and clumsiness can be linked to sensory sensitivity, a trait of autism.

A spiky skill set, where individuals excel in some areas and struggle in others, is common in autism.

Emotional regulation challenges, such as meltdowns, shutdowns, and withdrawals, are typical responses to overwhelming situations for autistic individuals.

Unusual associations and mental jumps in conversation can make communication difficult and are signs of autism.

Being 'a bit different' and consistently standing out as the odd one can be a powerful, albeit subtle, sign of autism.

The experience of being with a community of autistic individuals normalizes the feeling of being different.

Joining an autistic community, such as through Patreon, can provide support and a sense of belonging.

The video offers a playlist on masking and unmasking for further understanding of autism behaviors.

An online social group and in-person meetups in Melbourne are available for those interested in connecting with the autistic community.

The video concludes with an invitation to engage with the content and the community for a deeper understanding of autism.

Transcripts

seven signs of undiagnosed autism in

adults undiagnosed autism in adults is a

lot more common than most people think

if you look at diagnosis rates of

children these days you'll see that

statistically there's one or more

autistic children in every classroom and

no it's not an epidemic we've been here

all along you just need to know what to

look for so in this video we'll go

through some of the things you can look

out for to spot autism in adults who if

they were children today would be

getting picked up and diagnosed by the

system

hi everyone Paul mikf here from autism

from the inside I make weekly videos

Sharing The Human Side of autism so make

sure you hit subscribe to get the latest

content one of the things that often

prevents us from noticing autism in

adults is an overreliance on our own

stereotypes so we know that autism comes

in all shapes and sizes which means

ironically if you're looking for one

thing or even a small number of

different stereotypes that will likely

blind you to some other signs that might

be obvious in hindsight so today I'll go

through seven signs or perhaps more

accurately seven areas of where to look

for common signs of autism we'll go

through social interaction a need for

structure sensory sensitivities spiky

skill sets meltdowns shutdowns and

withdrawals unusual associations and

finally in some ways the simplest yet

most powerful one that I'll save until

the

end so let's jump straight into it the

first area the first sign of undiagnosed

autism can be found in social

interactions now in general the

important one thing with all of these is

a difference from mainstream population

but there are several differences in

this area that tend to be expressed in a

very similar way if I find it difficult

to intuitively understand my peers

difficult to conform difficult to know

what to do socially that often ends up

in the whole social interaction process

being very draining I'm thinking about

it too much I'm trying too hard I'm

trying to manually process all of these

thousands of tiny little social cues I'm

often not doing a fantastic job and it's

not always a fun process so that may

lead me to avoid social interactions it

may lead me to like to spend a lot of

time by myself it may lead me to appear

to be awkward in social situations or it

may lead me to just ditch the whole

trying to be like everyone else all

together and come across as quite

eccentric all of these are signs

pointing to a similar thing namely that

it's difficult to fit in and doing what

everyone else is doing in the same way

that everyone else is doing it is a

challenge number two is a need for

structure and routine and ironically

whether you see someone who is very

structured very routine oriented

seemingly quite inflexible or the

opposite coming across as chaotic and

disorganized they are often two sides of

the same coin one of the reasons I need

stability and routine and security is

because I am so flexible if I don't have

a script prepared socially I could say

literally anything and it turns out a

lot of those options are suboptimal so

to help me cut down on that executive

function I make a decision in advance

this is what I'm going to say this is

how I am commonly going to answer the

same question if I can predict it in

advance a need for structure will often

come across as a person who likes to do

things their own way and who really

resists conforming to the status quo

especially if there doesn't seem to be a

good reason as to why I have to do

things the way other people are doing

them and all of these outward signs are

effectively pointing towards internal

executive function challenges what

you're seeing are my coping mechanisms

that allow me to work and get stuff done

and if you take them away if you

interrupt me or disrupt my routine or

throw in too many unknowns then I won't

be able to concentrate I won't be able

to prioritize I won't be able to

organize my almost infinitely chaotic

brain and suddenly I'll flip from being

super organized to Super disorganized so

that's why both those extremes are

essentially two sides of the same

coin the third sign of undiagnosed

autism in adults is sensory sensitivity

and equally importantly sensory

insensitivity now when people say this

most of the time people are thinking of

light and sound and funny tastes and

textures and smells and things like that

but sensory is actually a lot more than

that it includes things like pain

tolerance temperature regulation

coordination that one confused me for a

while back when I was first researching

autism how is being clumsy an autistic

trait that a lot of children have and

the answer is it's a sensory sensitivity

if I can't feel where my limbs are in

space I'm more likely to accidentally

bump into things and knock things over

if I really like deep pressure I'm

likely to hug people too hard cuz I

don't realize that they don't like it so

the question with all of these is how

far do you fall outside the norm some

people are a little bit sensitive to

smell some people have a relatively High

pain tolerance but if you start to

notice that actually your experience is

significantly different to the other

people around you then that's a pretty

strong sign of undiagnosed autism

actually very quick disclaimer some of

these signs especially the last two

around structure and sensory sensitivity

have a high overlap with ADHD so if you

resonate very strongly with those two

and not so much with the others then uh

maybe something like ADHD might be a

better fit but that's a much more

complicated question so I won't go into

that too much today

okay so number four the fourth sign of

undiagnosed autism in adults is having a

spiky skill set okay so what do I mean

by that well if you think about my

personal skill set there are some things

that I can do some things that I can't

do some things that I've learned some

things that I haven't learned but in

terms of intrinsic ability my ability to

learn certain things and perform certain

tasks there are going to be some things

that I find find generally easier for me

and some things that I find just

particularly difficult that others

others are fine with but that I find

them really difficult some people are

good with numbers for example and other

people haven't thought about math since

high school well an extremely common

characteristic of autism in children and

in adults is having a very spiky skill

set meaning there are some things I am

extremely good at and by extremely I

mean compared to the rest of the

population and some things that I really

really struggle with again compared to

the rest of the population now this does

not mean Sant level skills I'll give you

an example when I was younger I used to

play a lot of competition tennis and it

was pretty common for there to be a

table tennis table inside in the

clubhouse so that you could play while

you were waiting to go out on the court

I was reasonably good at tennis I could

win things in my local area there was no

chance I would ever play at a state

level or a national level or an

international level reasonably good but

nothing spectacular and so you would

think that skill of being able to play

tennis would somehow translate in being

able to learn table tennis right I mean

roughly the same hit the ball with the

bat kind of skills but for some reason I

was way better than anyone else when it

came to table tennis in those kind of

tennis Clubhouse situations so much so

that I ended up playing with my left

hand instead of my right hand just to

make it a little bit more fun and

interesting for me now if I actually

played against someone who knows how to

play table tennis then they would put me

in my place very quickly but it's an

example of something where I am

significantly better than average

naturally in one area now the opposite

is also true what about something like

remembering dates or birthdays or

cooking dinner or reading a map a

typical autistic profile will likely

have some pretty significant gaps in

that skill set things that just about

every other adult can do fairly easily

that for some reason is difficult almost

impossible for us a personal example

came up for me recently a lot of

restaurants don't have paper menus

anymore they require you to scan a QR

code and then figure out what you want

online and then order it online through

their app and that's a barrier for me I

would sooner stay home and not eat than

have to do that whereas for other people

they're like this is fantastic I just

get food whenever I want it I don't even

have to talk to

anyone okay moving on number five the

fifth sign of undiagnosed autism in

adults is emotional regulation things

such as meltdowns shutdowns and

withdrawal and the reason I'm putting

all of them in the same category is

because they're kind of all mechanisms

to deal with the same thing what do I do

when the world is too much and I just

can't take it anymore does it hit me

unexpectedly and I break down and have a

meltdown does my brain switch off and I

go into survival mode no information in

no information out and I just shut down

for a little while or have I learned to

withdraw away from the world away from

relationships and block out the world

that way until I've got enough energy to

come back again autistic shutdown and

withdrawal is a huge challenge in many

relationships and it's one of the top

areas that my clients won't help with in

my relationship coaching work so if you

notice behavior that looks a little bit

binary in terms of I'm engaging and

everything seems fine and I'm fine and

you're fine and we're doing really well

and then something happens and suddenly

I have melted down or shut down or I've

withdrawn and you can't get through to

me for some reason they are relatively

extreme forms of emotional regulation

that are quite common in the autistic

population a slightly less extreme form

of this is a similar Behavior but over a

shorter time scale so it might look like

don't talk to me at all for the next 2

hours I need to decompress or it might

look like a habit that I used to have as

a teenager of having a power naap in the

middle of parties there's music and

dancing and people running around making

lots of noise and I would just sit on

the floor close my eyes block out the

world for 20 minutes and reset my brain

fantastic okay number six the sixth sign

of undiagnosed autism in adults is very

unusual associations and mental jumps so

I say banana and you say space station

right clearly it's obvious what went on

in your brain just now to the outside

Observer these seem pretty random it

might be an esoteric quote or picking up

on a little side meaning or taking

something literally and then running

with that instead of picking up on the

main meaning of the sentence but if your

brain makes uncommon associations and

again uncommon is measured based on

comparing that to other people so it's

being measured apparently

cross-culturally that if you ask people

to pick a random color blue is by far

the most common there are other examples

like think of a vegetable most people

might think carrot or potato I remember

I asked this of a friend of mine in high

school and she said rubab and I thought

there's something special here how many

people when asked to pick a random

vegetable would pick rubab that is the

definition of unusual compared to your

peers and the result of these natural

unusual associations well there are lots

of positive ones in terms of creativity

and things like that but it does make

communication much more difficult cuz if

a link is very clear in my mind but it

just does not occur at all in my

listener's mind that's a problem and

vice versa if I'm listening to someone

and they think an implication is obvious

and my brain just hasn't gone there it's

gone somewhere completely different then

that can often make communication a bit

more

challenging okay finally the last one

the seventh sign of undiagnosed autism

this one is probably the simplest and

the most powerful and the hardest to

really pinpoint exactly what we mean the

person is just a bit different what does

that mean exactly what does that mean

they're just a bit different you can't

quite put your finger on it it might be

a good different it might be a bad

different it might just be a neutral

kind of quirky different there is

something that makes this person stand

out as the odd one out for some reason

and our brains are very very good at

picking the odd one out I did a video a

little while back asking the question

can you spot autism in under a second

you can watch the full video here if you

want but ultimately the answer is yes

you can spot difference our brains can

pick out patterns and find the odd one

out in a split second does being the odd

one out mean you're autistic no not

necessarily however if you find yourself

commonly being the odd one out in a lot

of different circumstances then that is

a sign that you might be autistic if

that is you and you resonate strongly

with that it's actually an extremely

surreal experience to hang around with

the autistic Community especially for

the first time and be surrounded by so

many other people who are also a little

bit different in lots of different ways

that are different to the ways that

you're different how many times can I

differently use different in the same

different sentence differently maybe I

should have an eighth category amuses

themselves El in ways that are unlikely

to be amusing to other people so this is

one of the reasons that I say to

understand autism you should go out and

meet autistic people and if you are

questioning yourself whether you

yourself might be an undiagnosed

autistic person then seeing what I've

talked about in this video in real life

and experiencing what that actually

looks like in other people can be a

really powerful experience because when

everyone is the odd one out I ionically

no one is the odd one out I experienced

this properly for the first time running

a camp for autistic teenagers several

years ago there was a lot of weird stuff

going on and if you thought you know

what I'm going to stand out for the

crowd I'm going to wear like a pink

onesie and see what people think well

you wouldn't stand out from the crowd

you might be the only one in a pink

onesie but there are so many other

people doing other weird different

things in other directions that

ironically your particular clothing

choice kind of Blends into the

background against that so anyway I

should probably leave it there for today

I have some other videos on this topic

as well if you're interested I'd

probably recommend checking out the

playlist on masking and unmasking and if

you're looking to join an autistic

Community you might like to consider

joining us on patreon you can join the

community and support this channel

financially as well for as little as a

dollar a week so thanks so much for

everyone who's already supporting

through that we also have an online

social group connected through the

Facebook page and we do some in-person

meetups here in Melbourne as well so

thanks again for watching watching I

hope you found the content valuable and

I'll see you again next time

bye