Autism over the age of 50 As clinicians, we have seen an increasing number of adults, and especially women, over the age of 50 seeking confirmation of autism in their developmental history and current profile of abilities. This has provided an opportunity to explore the ageing process associated with autism using a cross-sectional approach, that is the changing expression of autism within specific decades and a longitudinal approach by regularly seeing some autistic adults over several decades. Research has also recently been conducted on autism over the age of 50 using semi-structured intervi ..read more

Autism and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Researchers and clinicians in the autism area have known about the association between hypermobility and autism for a long time, and hypermobility is one common symptom of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). In this week’s blog, we discuss what EDS is, the association between autism and EDS, and why knowing about EDS may be helpful.  What is Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome? Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a group of disorders that are genetic, and affect the connective tissues making them weak, primarily the skin, joints, and blood vessel walls. There are 14 different types o ..read more

Signs of Autism When First Meeting a Client This blog is for clinicians, therapists, and counsellors to help identify the characteristics of autism in a client who has not previously been considered as autistic. We describe the signature characteristics of autism that may be apparent when first meeting a client or over several appointments when exploring their developmental history and profile of abilities. The blog is based on our extensive clinical experience and the formal diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder (APA 2022). Prevalence and pathways According to the Centers for Disea ..read more

Relationships for Autistic women Foundations for relationship skills The foundations for relationship skills are created from friendship experiences throughout childhood. The skills include trust, loyalty, compromise, and emotional support. Autistic women may have had fewer but more intense friendships than non-autistic women during childhood and adolescence (Sedgewick et al., 2019). A series of single best friends can become the sole focus of their friendship experiences, and the intensity and difficulty of understanding and managing conflict can result in friends disengaging. There can subse ..read more

Recognising and Understanding Autistic Girls* at School Most children referred for a diagnostic assessment for autism are males, and autistic males with fluent speech will likely be diagnosed, on average, by the time they are 8 years old. Autistic girls, by contrast, ‘fly under the radar’ and tend to be diagnosed during their teenage or adult years . In a recent research study, the male-to-female ratio of autism was 1:4. in 4–10-year-olds, leaping to 1:2. in adult women (Posserud et al, 2021). Our own clinical records for diagnostic assessments show the same pattern, , Thus, young autistic gir ..read more

PDA in Autistic Adults The term PDA (pathological demand avoidance) was first used by Professor Elizabeth Newson in the 1980s. It is a behavioural profile associated with avoidance of complying with requests and extreme agitation if demands are escalated. PDA was first recognised in autistic children, and further research identified associated features such as high levels of anxiety, lability of mood and impulsivity, surface sociability but a lack of social identity and a greater level of interpersonal skills and social manipulation than usually associated with autism (Newson et al., 2003; O’N ..read more

Autistic Women* and Health Communication Autistic individuals generally experience more health issues than non-autistic individuals (Weir, Allison & Baron-Cohen, 2022). Autistic women face a range of health concerns that can be both physical and mental. Some of the common health concerns faced by autistic women are: Mental Health: Autistic women are at a higher risk for developing mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). They may also experience higher levels of stress, which can negatively impact their mental health. Sensory Processing Is ..read more

Autism in Couple Relationships Part of the early appeal of dating an autistic person for a person who is not autistic can be a sense that they are different that they have a mind that can grasp astonishing complexity, they are wonderfully attentive, have deep compassion, are fair-minded, are very talented in their field, extremely loyal or different in ways that are intriguing but not yet fully apparent. Indeed the early stages of dating may not indicate the long-term relationship issues that can occur. On both sides, there can be expectations of how a long-term relationship “should” be, each ..read more

Autism and bullying: new developments in research and support Why are autistic students so frequently the victims of bullying? From our extensive clinical experience, the answer is that they are perceived as easy victims due to often being alone and not having a group of friends for protection, having the posture and body language of someone insecure and vulnerable, and having low self-esteem and social status, as well as being perceived as a relatively ‘soft target’, i.e., someone unlikely to be assertive or able to retaliate in a way that could cause discomfort to the ‘predator’. Due to diff ..read more

The Dating Game and Autistic Adolescents Typical teenagers are usually enthusiastic about going beyond friendship and experiencing the dating game. They are exploring their new sexual awareness, who they find attractive, and who is attracted to them. Their romantic and sensual experiences become a major topic of conversation with peer advice on the ‘rules’ of the dating game. Our clinical experience suggests this may not be the case for autistic teenagers. They may be delayed by several years in being interested in a romantic relationship and have difficulty resonating with their peers’ intere ..read more