Social situations can be uncomfortable for many people. Some adults avoid parties, struggle to make conversation, worry about saying the wrong thing, or feel exhausted after spending time with other people. These experiences can occur with social anxiety, autism spectrum disorder, or both, which is one reason adults sometimes have difficulty understanding what may be behind their social challenges.

Autism and social anxiety can look similar from the outside, but they are different conditions. Understanding the reasons behind a person’s social difficulties, along with their developmental history and other patterns of behavior, can help psychologists determine whether autism, anxiety, or another explanation should be considered.

What Is Social Anxiety?

Social anxiety involves significant fear or worry about social situations in which a person believes they may be judged, embarrassed, rejected, or negatively evaluated by others. Someone may understand social expectations well but feel intense anxiety about whether they will perform appropriately.

For example, an adult with social anxiety may know how to start a conversation but avoid doing so because they are worried about appearing awkward. They may replay conversations afterward, worry about how others perceived them, or avoid situations where they could become the center of attention.

Anxiety can also affect concentration and attention. Our article Can Anxiety Affect Attention? Why It Can Look Like ADHD explains why anxiety sometimes produces difficulties that resemble other conditions.

How Can Autism Affect Social Interaction?

Autism involves differences in social communication and interaction along with restricted or repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. An autistic adult may have difficulty intuitively understanding certain social cues, conversational expectations, or nonverbal communication.

The difference is not necessarily a fear of social interaction. Some autistic adults want friendships and relationships but find social communication confusing or exhausting. Others may prefer fewer social interactions or have highly specific interests that affect how they connect with other people.

These differences usually have roots in development, even when they were not recognized during childhood. Our guide to Signs of Autism in Adults: Why Some People Aren’t Diagnosed Until Later in Life discusses how autism may first become apparent to someone years after childhood.

Masking Can Make the Difference Harder to Recognize

Many autistic adults learn strategies for navigating social situations. They may consciously study other people’s behavior, rehearse conversations, imitate facial expressions, or develop rules for when to make eye contact and how to respond.

This is often described as masking. Over time, someone who masks effectively may appear socially comfortable even though interacting requires substantial conscious effort.

Masking can also create anxiety. Someone who is constantly monitoring their behavior may become worried about making a social mistake or being perceived as different. This is one reason autism and social anxiety can occur together.

Our article What Is Masking in Autism? explores this pattern in greater detail.

Developmental History Is Important

One of the most important differences psychologists consider is when the difficulties began and what they looked like earlier in life. Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition, meaning relevant characteristics begin during the developmental period even if they become more noticeable later.

A psychologist may therefore ask about childhood friendships, play, communication, routines, sensory experiences, interests, and school experiences. Adults who were academically successful or developed effective coping strategies may not have been identified as children.

This is also why Autism Evaluation for Adults: What Information Is Usually Reviewed? can be helpful for people considering an evaluation.

Can Someone Have Both Autism and Social Anxiety?

Yes. Autism and anxiety are not mutually exclusive. An autistic person can also develop social anxiety, and the two conditions may interact with each other.

Repeatedly misunderstanding social situations, experiencing bullying, feeling different from peers, or worrying about making mistakes can contribute to anxiety over time. For some adults, an evaluation identifies autism as well as significant anxiety that should be considered when developing recommendations.

How Does an Evaluation Help?

There is no single behavior that distinguishes autism from social anxiety. Avoiding eye contact, having few friends, feeling uncomfortable at parties, or becoming nervous during conversations can occur for many reasons.

A comprehensive evaluation considers the overall pattern rather than one symptom. Psychologists may review developmental history, current functioning, social communication, sensory experiences, repetitive behaviors, interests, anxiety symptoms, questionnaires, interviews, and other information when appropriate.

Adults considering testing can learn more through our Adult Autism Evaluation in New Jersey information.

Learn More About Autism and ADHD Testing in New Jersey

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