AUTISM, ADOLESCENCE, AND THE MYTH OF “GROWING OUT OF IT”
Client: New Leaf Therapeutic Services
There’s a phrase many parents of autistic children hear at some point in their journey:
“Don’t worry. They’ll grow out of it.”
It’s often said with good intentions: a way to offer comfort, reassurance, or hope for an easier future. But beneath that phrase lies the assumption that autism is something temporary. Something a child sheds as they mature. Something they can leave behind with enough time, enough intervention, enough effort. Autistic teens don’t grow out of autism. They grow into who they are. Adolescence doesn’t erase autism; instead, it brings new layers of self-understanding, new needs, new developmental milestones, and, sometimes, new challenges. It’s a time when identity takes shape, expectations change, and the world becomes more complex. For many autistic youth, this period is less about “losing symptoms” and more about discovering language, tools, and confidence to navigate life on their own terms.
For parents, understanding this shift can ease worry, reduce pressure, and create a more compassionate path forward.
Where the Myth Comes From
The idea that autistic children “outgrow” autism comes from older models of thinking, from a time when autism was primarily defined by early childhood traits and visible behaviours.
A few things contributed to this idea…