By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-12-29 18:23:05 | Updated at 2025-01-01 16:11:21
2 days ago
A top psychologist has revealed the common habits that could signal you have undiagnosed autism.
Dr Kim Sage, 56, a California-based psychologist, says undiagnosed autism in adults is common and she only realized she likely has the condition a few years ago.
In the US, more than 5.4million adults, or 2.21 percent, have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, autism rates are increasing, and diagnoses are becoming more common in younger adults.
One study by Rutgers suggests a quarter of teenagers with autism go undiagnosed and they remain unaware into adulthood.
Dr Sage says one of the most obvious tell-tale symptoms is 'stimming' - 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 subtler ways.
In a TikTok video, she says constant hair twirling is a common example of stimming, as is playing with jewelry, such as a pendant on a chain.
Next, she says repeatedly playing with a soft blanket is another thing that can give autistic people comfort, while pen caps are often another source of fascination.
Psychologist Dr Kim Sage says that undiagnosed autism in adults is common and she herself only realized that she likely has the condition a few years ago
Two bad habits stimmers can develop, however, Dr Sage says, are skin picking and nail biting.
The above chart shows the increases in autism diagnoses from 2011 to 2022 by age group, according to research published earlier this year in JAMA Network Open
The three final repetitive habits outed by the psychologist are mouth sounds, nail tapping and listening to the same song or sounds over and over.
Dr Sage says everyone stims to some degree and 'doing these does not make you autistic.'
But, she adds, 'among autistics, stimming can be very calming and regulating.'
The Drake Institute of Neurophysical Medicine in California notes 'essentially, autistic stimming helps one cope with feeling anxious, bored, or excited'.
Like Dr Sage, it highlights that stimming is a 'common activity even in non-autistic individuals'.
With autism, the stimming behaviors vary from person to person, and some people with autism may not exhibit any at all.
Experts say autistic stimming is 'often engaged when a person is feeling overstimulated by things they cannot control or when they are under stimulated, or to reduce pain, or to self-soothe'.
In most cases, they say stimming is not dangerous to the autistic person but is rather a self-soothing behavior.
Autistic people need to self-soothe more than others, as they frequently feel extremely overwhelmed by situations, emotions, or thoughts.
However, sometimes stimming can negatively impact children, teenagers and adults alike as it is misunderstood by onlookers and mistaken as intentionally aggressive behavior.
Dr Sage highlights that everyone stims to some degree and 'doing these does not make you autistic'
The experts warn some of the stimming behaviors, especially head-banging, kicking and excessive skin-picking, can cause physical injury to the autistic person.
Additionally, this obsessive and antisocial behavior can 'draw the child's attention inward, which makes interacting with others even more difficult'.
Treatment for 'bad' stimming typically involves behavioral therapies, environmental changes, stress reduction tools, and even medications.
In some cases, stimming may persist into adulthood and be disruptive but therapy can help lessen the symptoms in adults as well.
In her other TikToks, Dr Sage reveals other behaviors to watch out for when it comes to autism.
In one clip she says some of the tell-tale signs you might be an undiagnosed autistic adult include 'you have always been labeled as highly sensitive, you're chronically hypervigilant and anxious [and] you feel like an alien, especially in social situations'.
On this note, she highlights socializing is 'often very stressful', and you need 'lots of recovery time afterward.'
Socializing can be stressful for autistic people because they can 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 spending more time alone or to be with one person at a time.
Research has shown there a high correlation between having autism and developing autoimmune diseases.
On this topic, Dr Sage says this could mean as an undiagnosed autistic adult you might find yourself suffering from a range of health problems including allergies, autoimmune connective tissue disorders, chronic pain, and gastrointestinal problems.
Lastly, she ends the video by highlighting how autism is often misdiagnosed.
Some of the common conditions it is mistaken for, she says, include bipolar disorder, depression and obsessive compulsive disorder.
Previously, autism was broken down into different diagnoses, including Asperger's syndrome, autistic disorder, Kanner's syndrome, childhood autism, atypical autism and pervasive development 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 various approaches that can help address individual needs and challenges.
Treatment options can include psychotherapy and counseling, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), social skills training, and occupational therapy.
