Adolescence On The Spectrum: 11 Possible Signs Of Autism In Teens

Maybe you're a teen who's been exploring the possibility that you could be autistic. Maybe you're the parent of a teen who's behavior and way of viewing the world is in-your-face different. Or maybe you're a teacher, friend, relative, sports coach, or tutor who's either wondering whether a specific teenager might have autism spectrum disorder, or hoping to learn more about how autism manifests in teenagers in general. In either case, we have some answers for you. 

Autism spectrum disorder, the diagnostic criteria, and how they may apply to teenagers

Autism, often described as a life-long neurological disorder, has two core features. The diagnostic manual used in the United States, the DSM-5, describes them as:

• "Persistent impairment in reciprocal social communication and social interaction."
• "Restricted, repetitive pat­terns of behavior, interests, or activities."

Autism and teens: Verbal communication differences

Verbal communication-wise, teens with autism may: 

• Use language in unexpected ways. Some teens with autism will be non-verbal (which doesn't mean they cannot communicate in other ways, including often in writing), while others have a noticeably delayed ability to use or understand words. This is far from always true, however, and many teens with autism also have incredible vocabularies and language sills. In this case, they may use words that seem overly formal or archaic. 
• Not always know what to say and when to say it. Teenagers on the spectrum may have a hard time initiating conversations, replying to something people say, or knowing what to say in situations they didn't anticipate. They may not know when it's their turn to speak, including on the phone. 
• Have adapted with time and experience. A teenager with autism may make heavy use of "scripting", in which they practice what to say in certain situations by learning what people around them, or media figures, say in those circumstances. They may initially be able to pass as non-autistic because of this. New situations may "throw" them. 
• Talk about their passions a lot. Because, no matter what they are, they'll have those passions. They may not notice that other people are not interested or have lost interest, and may not know to also ask about other people's passions or opinions.

Non-verbal communication and autistic teens

In terms of non-verbal communication — which covers everything from body language to tone of voice — you may notice:

• Unusual or no eye contact. Autistic people often find eye contact unnatural, uncomfortable, or even painful. As autistic people grow up, they may learn to mimic eye contact by looking at eyebrows or foreheads instead, to the point where this is not immediately obvious. 
• An unusual voice. This may include speaking rather loudly or softly, a monotonous voice, or an otherwise unusual intonation.
• Unusual body language. This may mean not using many gestures, an odd gait, or an unusual posture. Autistic teens may also not be able to follow your hand as you point to something. 

What kind of other behaviors might you see in autistic teenagers?

Behaviorally, it's possible that you'll see:

• Stimming. Most autistic people, including teenagers, "stim". This is short for self-stimulatory behavior, and can include an incredibly wide range of physical actions that the autistic person may or may not be aware of. Hand-flapping, humming, fidgeting, moving legs up and down while sitting, scratching, spinning, and chewing are all possible examples.
• A strong love of routines and dislike of change. Autistic people often find it comforting to engage in the same patterns over and over again. Even small changes can cause mild to severe distress. This also means autistic teens often have trouble switching from one activity to another quickly, and some will have a strong preference for order that shows up as very neatly organized personal spaces.
• Rigid rule-following. Another manifestation of this strong love of routines is an intense need to follow rules the person has learned to be right or just "there". 
• Strong passions. These are also often called "special interests" or "autistic obsessions". Whatever you want to call it, the DSM-5 deems them "abnormal" in intensity — though it probably wouldn't say the same for a non-autistic teen who practices guitar six hours a day because they have ambitions. These passions can be anything, and an autistic person may have more than one at a time or cycle through interests. Whatever their interests are, they'll be able to talk about them in a lot of detail and never get tired of doing so.

What social struggles may autistic teens face?

All these differences may mean that an autistic teen has trouble forming and maintaining friendships, even if they really want to have friends. Research shows that autistic adolescents are often lonely, bullied, and excluded from social interactions with other teens. Social anxiety is incredibly common among teens on the spectrum, and almost half have no social interactions with same-age peers beyond those they really can't avoid (such as in school or at a sport). 

Some, on the other hand, will simply prefer solitary activities and are content without much social interaction. The people autistic teens prefer to interact with are quite likely to be much younger or older then they are — it helps, of course, if those people share their passions. We should alo note that autistic adolescents may not actually seek to blend in. Some understand approximately what it takes to be "cool", and have no interest in that. Instead, they want to be different in their own way — but still accepted as such. 

A final word

In short, this quick look into the possible signs that a teen may be autistic in no way allows you to amateur-diagnose anyone. That takes a professional evaluation.