ehlers-danlos syndrome – A Is For Aoife Not Autism

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

Leading on my from my previous post about autism and ageing, this week I’d like to discuss whether or not people with autism look younger.

Yep, apparently there appears to be a link between autism and looking younger!

In my own experience, it has been mentioned that I look far younger than my age. I’ve always had a youthful complexion, but I’d just chalked it down to good skincare, genes and the lack of a man to turn my hair grey 😂 Never in my wildest dreams did I think that my autism might be linked to my appearance!

So let’s explore why autists look younger.

As I’ve discussed in my previous post about autism and joint hypermobility, some autists have co-morbid hypermobility conditions such as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). This causes structural tissues like collagen to be weaker and more elastic which causes stretchy joints. However, this increased elasticity can result in a more youthful appearance as the skin is more resistant to damage, which can delay or even prevent the appearance of wrinkles🫨

Facial expressions may also contribute to a youthful visage, as autists tend to produce facial expressions less frequently and for shorter durations than neurotypicals. A less expressive face = less wrinkles.

It’s also possible that our youthful appearance may be more behavioural than biological. A lot of autists tend to be introverted and prefer indoorsy activities away from the elements, especially those with light sensitivity. As a result, lower UV exposure may be preserving our skin from the ageing impact of the sun. My nickname was ‘Dracula’ as a teenager as I would spend summers indoors reading, often returning from sun holidays with little to no tan🙈. On another level, our tendency towards naivety, more childish interests and behaviours can make us seem younger by association rather than looks.

However, while the evidence does seem to suggest autists do look younger, there equally is evidence that some autists look a lot older. As much as EDS increases skin elasticity, it can also lead to thin, fragile skin that can be more prone to bruising, resulting in premature ageing. One study even suggests that autists experience a faster rate of ageing and that they have an older facial age. This may however be correlated to poor self care, lifestyle and the higher levels of biological stress experienced by autists, buuuttt the same can largely be said for neurotypical ageing🤷‍♀️.

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings! 🙂

Happy Easter!

Aoife

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

This week I’d like to discuss another lesser known comorbidity with autism- joint hypermobility.

So what exactly is joint hypermobility?

It’s a pretty self-explanatory condition where joints have a larger range of motion than normal, more commonly referred to as being “double jointed”. The tissue connecting joints is much more stretchy so joints are highly flexible. This is usually caused by weak collagen- the main protein that makes up connective tissues that provide support in the body such as muscles, tendons, ligaments, bone etc.

Lots of people have hypermobile joints, but some may have hypermobility disorders such as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) which negatively effects connective tissues. There are 13 types of EDS, each with different symptoms, but the most common type is hypermobile EDS with symptoms including painful and clicking joints, excessive bruising, digestive issues, unstable joints and thin stretchy skin. 8% of autists are estimated to have EDS, with even more estimated to have other types of hypermobility disorders. As both of these conditions are assessed by different types of doctors, it’s possible the co-occurrence rate is much higher than we realise.

In my own experience, I’ve always known that I was highly flexible, but I’d never considered that this might not be “normal”. My English teacher once looked at me recoiling in horror as I stared back confused and oblivious. Apparently my thumbs were freaking him out as I’m able to bend them backwards- something that I thought everyone was able to do!

Here’s a closer illustration for context:

I haven’t thought much of my joints for years, but recently both my physiotherapist and chiropractor described them as hypermobile. This seemingly has contributed to many injuries over the years- I’m currently dealing with a “wandering kneecap” among other things 😂. Lo and behold, a few weeks later I came across a study linking hypermobility to ASD’s and ADHD!

So how are the conditions linked?

Again, as with most aspects of the spectrum the link remains unclear, however, it does appear to be genetic. Hypermobility disorders are highly hereditary with 20% of mothers experiencing hypermobility reporting that they have an autistic child. A recent study compared the genes known to be related to hypermobility and autism and found that there was a lot of overlap between these genes and the pathways they interact with which likely explains why the two conditions are co-morbid. Immune system dysregulation has also been linked to both conditions, particularly during pregnancy (I will discuss the immune link to autism in more detail in a later post).

So there you have it, lot’s of autists are highly flexible- which is kind of ironic given how inflexible we can be in other areas of our lives 😜🤣

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings! 🙂

Have a lovely weekend!

Aoife

Tag: ehlers-danlos syndrome

Do people with autism look younger?

Autism & Joint Hypermobility

A Is For Aoife Not Autism