Is it possible for someone to have such a mild case of autism that it's not diagnosed until adolescence?

Answer 1

Absolutely yes. There are many forms of autism each with varied degrees of severity. Mild or severe just depends on how much it effects their life. The types of Pervasive Developmental disorders are PDD- NOS (not otherwise specified), Asperger's Syndrome, Classic Autism, High Functioning ( means a person is high functioning but had to have a speach delay). There is also Rhett's Disorder (females only).

I will concentrate on some of the harder to diagnose ones since Classic Autism is another story all together. It would be very hard NOT to miss classic autism, good bless them. Some of these can be difficult to diagnose because the severity can sway between "mild to severe" depending on hormonal changes and development. So, certain kinds of autism can be missed or more prominant lets say in adolescence when hormones shift. They do not have to fit all of the criteria, some children with let's say Aspergers can be real people lovers, they might not know how to go about it but they want friends and some have major social avoidance. It seems some of the major problems besides the obvious speeh delay ( not always a speech delay) is Sensory Processing issues, and Motor Skills fine/ gross. It isn't to late to have the teen checked out. Often people get alot of wow moments after the diagnosis. My child had some tummy problems while young, lack of eye contact, professor like speach (very bright), didn't understand complicated instruction, picky eater, and stims ( he would jerk his arms when he got excited, discretely flick his finger at his side and when talking sorta swat foot to foot). I also know someone who's child plays with his eylashes for sensory imput and comfort. Good luck and you will be fine.

Answer 2

Yes. Autism is a sliding scale it is not an either/or syndrom. Mild autism is sometimes called Asperger's Syndrom

Answer 3

Probably. I suspect there's alot about Autism that we don't know or understand yet. -And that would include the Range or degree of Severity of the Condition... So, "Stay Tuned..."