Autism can make the already difficult teen years almost unbearable, especially due to the hostile environment of many high schools, and the difficulty that many high school students encounter trying to find a place to fit in. Throughout teenage years, young adults go through several physical and mental changes, which can lead to confusion even for healthy individuals. The teen years are already some of the most socially awkward years of life, so having to deal with autism and its added social and communication difficulties means that a teenager with autism will need social counseling during this time.

Throughout teenage years, young adults begin to find themselves, strengthen their unique personalities, and start to relate to those individuals that share the same interests as they do. Because of this, individuals at this age must rely strongly on their communicational capabilities to become socially involved with peers. The underdeveloped communicational skills of teenagers diagnosed with autism are likely to interfere with their ability and/or eagerness to be socially active and get involved with their peers.

Life can be challenging for young adults on the spectrum because their disorder may cause them to be left out of many social settings. What can be even more frustrating for a teenager is the inability to express himself or herself properly, and the inability of others to understand what he or she is trying to express to them. Often, this frustration could lead to misbehavior, emotional upheaval or mood swings. Aside from the social aspects, there are other areas of concern once the affected child reaches the teen years. One out of every three teenagers with autism develops a seizure disorder called epilepsy, and teenagers with autism who also suffer from mental retardation are at greater risk of getting epilepsy.   

As with children diagnosed with autism, teenagers on the spectrum are very sensitive to changes in schedule or routine. Once young adults on the specturm become used to a standard set of events or routine, most of them will become strongly attached to that routine. The best way for parents to help their child or young adult adjust to unexpected schedulechanges is for parents to let them know ahead of time when the change in schedule will occur, and what will be occurring differently than expected.

[Dodd, Susan. Understanding Autism. Australia: Elsevier, 2005. p.11]