Signs of Austism?

seadoug

seadoug

Well-known Member
Location
Texas
We were at a movie today in a theater. A guy sat next to me when he could have sat a couple of seats away. He chomped on his popcorn, shook the ice in his drink and swished his straw around in the ice . It sometimes took him several tries to put his drink in the holder. He stood up during parts of the movie, rocked back and forth during the more intense scenes and talked to himself.

Normally I would consider this rude, but I assumed he was on the Autism spectrum and gave him a pass. He seemed to be a nice guy, and at the end of the movie he bumped elbows with me and my partner. I'll have to admit, this was a first for me but I felt sorry for him, and it really enlightened me as to what Autism is all about.
 

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I have a grandson who shows some signs of autism, or I think so anyway. I admit no expertise. He's 16 and mostly functional, but has a few behaviors I'd call autistic. I am hoping he will grow out of it. Or figure out how to get along in the world with it. So far he is mostly succeeding in that.

Nice of you to recognize this. Its the reactions of strangers I worry about most with GS.
seadoug said:
the Autism spectrum
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I think that is a good concept, a spectrum. Some show more signs than others. Or so I think.
 

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My son has autism and he’s kind and really funny and very smart. He was able to go to college. Autism can be very mild or very severe. There is a whole spectrum of behaviors that can indicate autism. My son’s problems are usually interacting with other people so he stays to himself most of the time.
Autism is very prevalent now. I believe the current statistics are that 1 in every 50 boys is born with autism.
 
Been There said:
I have heard different definitions of what autism is, but never knew with 100% certainly just what it is. One thing everyone agreed on is that it is a developmental disorder, but beyond that, the rest of it becomes skeptical to me.
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Autism used to be a definite condition, which was fairly easy diagnose. Today, autism spectrum is a term used to define any developmental disorder, no matter how severe, or lack of symptoms.
 
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Marian said:
Autism is very prevalent now. I believe the current statistics are that 1 in every 50 boys is born with autism.
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Not sure if it's more prevalent or just more frequently diagnosed.

I had classmates who were mainstreamed but struggled terribly with the social aspects including appropriate classroom behavior and interaction between kids.

These days they'd be identified early by doctors or IEP special education specialists as being on the spectrum and given additional help.
 
I'm very pleased that autism or ADHD wasn't recognised as a thing when I was a child. My mother who ironically was a nurse herself had a a moderate form of What is Munchausen by proxy..and was always inventing illnesses in us kids so we could be treated at the doctors or hospital... ( It wasn't so much badness on her part, but more a cry for attention for herself which she didn't get as a child) I have no doubt that our childhood would be full of medication for Autism if we'd been kids today...
 
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seadoug said:
We were at a movie today in a theater. A guy sat next to me when he could have sat a couple of seats away. He chomped on his popcorn, shook the ice in his drink and swished his straw around in the ice . It sometimes took him several tries to put his drink in the holder. He stood up during parts of the movie, rocked back and forth during the more intense scenes and talked to himself.

Normally I would consider this rude, but I assumed he was on the Autism spectrum and gave him a pass. He seemed to be a nice guy, and at the end of the movie he bumped elbows with me and my partner. I'll have to admit, this was a first for me but I felt sorry for him, and it really enlightened me as to what Autism is all about.
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I hate to look on the dark side, but he could have very well been on drugs. shrug.gif
 
In recent years, studies have shown a 20% increase in ASD in children born to mothers who used Tylenol during their pregnancy. Lawsuits are pending. Evidently they also saw a 30% increase in ADHD.
 
Alligatorob said:
How old is your son? What has he done since college?

Asking because my 16 year old grandson is similar. Just trying to figure out what his future could look like.
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My son is 31 years old. Unfortunately, he’s not doing much of anything. He’s found it impossible to hold a job . He is at home with us.
I found this online and have found it to be pretty accurate…at least in my son’s case:
Main signs of autism

finding it hard to understand what others are thinking or feeling. getting very anxious about social situations. finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on your own.
 
Alligatorob said:
I have a grandson who shows some signs of autism, or I think so anyway. I admit no expertise. He's 16 and mostly functional, but has a few behaviors I'd call autistic. I am hoping he will grow out of it. Or figure out how to get along in the world with it. So far he is mostly succeeding in that.

Nice of you to recognize this. Its the reactions of strangers I worry about most with GS.

I think that is a good concept, a spectrum. Some show more signs than others. Or so I think.
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There is definitely a spectrum. My nephew is on the autism spectrum. He used to play video games day and night until my sister-in-law encouraged him to join the Marines. He had no ambition whatsoever, but he flourished in the Marines because he had engineering skills and structure. However, he recently received a discharge and we're waiting for the details. He is a sweet 24 y/o, but quite awkward and frequently out of touch with what is going on around him.
 
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seadoug said:
We were at a movie today in a theater. A guy sat next to me when he could have sat a couple of seats away. He chomped on his popcorn, shook the ice in his drink and swished his straw around in the ice . It sometimes took him several tries to put his drink in the holder. He stood up during parts of the movie, rocked back and forth during the more intense scenes and talked to himself.

Normally I would consider this rude, but I assumed he was on the Autism spectrum and gave him a pass. He seemed to be a nice guy, and at the end of the movie he bumped elbows with me and my partner. I'll have to admit, this was a first for me but I felt sorry for him, and it really enlightened me as to what Autism is all about.
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I'm glad you were patient and kind with him, I bet your short encounter at the end of the movie made him feel very good.....kudos.

Years back, my coworker had a son with autism. He said he saw some improvement with him after seeing a naturopath, giving him some different herbal tinctures and taking him off sugar. He felt sorry for him one year on his birthday and let him have a birthday cake. The result was very bad, he regretted it.

I only met his son one time when he was a teenager, he seemed very uncomfortable around people and did not really talk at all. He said he met a girl online who was also autistic, and he set up a camera for his computer and they often visited each other that way. That was long before cameras were common on computers. My heart goes out to anyone who is suffering with a disability like that.
 
Lewkat said:
Much of the population, it has been discovered, has a touch of Aspberger's. Some are more pronounced than others, but are harmless.
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Interesting comment that makes a lot of sense. Most humans have one or more physical anomalies, the vast majority being inconsequential and only noticed during surgeries, MRIs, CT scans, etc., so why wouldn't it be the same with neuro diversity?
ADHD, ADD, ASD, dyslexia and similar diagnoses fall under the category of neuro atypical.
 
StarSong said:
Not sure if it's more prevalent or just more frequently diagnosed.

I had classmates who were mainstreamed but struggled terribly with the social aspects including appropriate classroom behavior and interaction between kids.

These days they'd be identified early by doctors or IEP special education specialists as being on the spectrum and given additional help.
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Many Boomers and Gen Xers are just finding out in last decade or so that they/we are on the Autism Spectrum, clearly neurodivergent.
 
feywon said:
Many Boomers and Gen Xers are just finding out in last decade or so that they/we are on the Autism Spectrum, clearly neurodivergent.
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Very true. I was diagnosed as ADHD when my twin sons were diagnosed at age 11 (one ADHD, one ADD and dyslexic). I was in my early forties by then and had developed reasonably good coping skills.

Even so, it was useful to know - the diagnosis sure explained a lot. I'd go into it further but can see something shiny out of the corner of my e
 
I was never diagnosed but feel I have adhd (hyper-active, low attention span,) At age 79, I must exercise daily (walk 3 miles) and can not sit still for more than 15 minutes). My daughter and sons are "normal" but 2 of my grandsons are on the autism spectrum.
 

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