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Am I Autistic?

furkandorum

furkandorum

Member
Hey, i'm 17 and i think that i might be autistic. I can't explain the reason (cause i don't know it) but i can't talk to my parents about this. It just seems impossible to me. So, i can't get any professional diagnosis for now. So, i'm trying to put a self-diagnosis. Here are my scores on various autism tests. I want to understand what these means. Can you guys help me?
Scores.png
 
You may be, but I don't think anyone here can officially diagnose you.

I understand not wanting to talk to your parents about it. I found out at age 47 and didn't want to tell my parents (eventually I did, but that's another story).

Perhaps you can look for other resources:

1) Is there a school counselor that you trust, who you could talk to? Or a close friend?

2) This forum! Whether you are formally diagnosed or not, this forum is a great place to ask questions, learn coping techniques, or just share experiences and commiserate. Even if you decide later that you aren't on the spectrum, you will still be welcome here.

Welcome, @furkandorum. I hope you find this forum as welcoming and useful as I have.
 
I understand the conundrum you are in. My parents and siblings were and are not accepting of my professional diagnosis, as they had years of a "moral diagnosis" of me that they had already set their minds to and were not going to change their minds, even if a professional did the diagnosis.

If you get tested before you're 18, then technically, you fall under the "pediatric" status and can have much of this testing done for free or with a minimal insurance co-pay, but this requires your parents to sign off on the testing. Once you turn 18, you're not under your parents "thumb" anymore, but now testing can be expensive, and at 18 you probably don't have much cash flow.

If you are in a situation where you are likely going to need work accommodations, legal assistance, financial assistance, then you need a professional diagnosis in your medical record. If you are like many other folks, you have done tests like this, and chatting with other autistics, things sort of "fit" with the diagnosis, then you can be considered one of the many who are "self-diagnosed". However, there is also the risk of misdiagnosing yourself.

If, for many reasons, you are self-diagnosing based upon all your research and understanding of the condition, then my best advice is to really look hard at the many aspects of the condition, adapt, and overcome as best you can. Do not expect understanding nor empathy, as most only associate autism as a debilitating pediatric condition, and not something that is present in "functional" adults.

Welcome to our world.
 
The scores don't themselves tell a great deal, because if nothing else they could just reflect some confirmation bias when taking them, but when a psychologist is undertaking a diagnosis, they will often be much more focused on how you present (behaviors and responses to questions), and what people who know you say about you and your behaviors and responses.

What you can do is look around here and get to know some of the users - you may find you recognize some or many of the personal characteristics which for us tend to define what being on the spectrum is like and how it affects us. You can also participate and that way we'll learn a bit about you. Indeed, you can tell us in your own words in the same way you'd explain yourself, your thought processes and your perceptions to a psychologist, and while it's right that nobody here can diagnose you, you'll probably find as a community we'll be able to give you a pretty good idea if you are or are not autistic.

Parents are odd things, but generally of the age and generation where they were led to believe that autism was an awful thing, and that if you are on the spectrum it is somehow their fault. It can be hard for them to talk about as a result of that, and in reality they probably don't need to have a label for you being exactly who you are, so right now it might not be a priority to discuss it with them as such. They will eventually come round, particularly if they see that you're doing well and succeeding - then they won't feel quite as much like they're being blamed.

Welcome!!
 
Hello and welcome, @furkandorum.

Sometimes it can be more helpful to focus on challenges that you have instead of trying to discuss a self diagnosis with others.

For example, maybe with your parents, you could start to share some of the struggles and challenges you have instead of feeling like you need to come right out and say I think I am autistic. Many of us have had the experience of other people not necessarily understanding what it means when we say I am autistic. Telling them more about your experience in the world, like if you have sensory issues, social issues, and anxiety can make more sense to people.

But also, stick around here if you want, because I think you could learn a lot about autism and about yourself.

There was a teen thread started recently where you could share some of your experiences with other teens to see where there are similarities.

Of course, all the threads are open to you and we are here to support, and we are all learning together.

Here’s the teen chat thread that was just started.

Thread 'Chat thread for autistic teens'
https://www.autismforums.com/threads/chat-thread-for-autistic-teens.43117/
 
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Thank you for the great answers guys. I feel like finding out that i'm autistic or not won't affect my life or my choices in the future a lot.
I just want to know myself better. I feel like there is a part of me that i'm not aware of. So... i guess i don't care about a formal diagnosis that much. I'm different, i have some challenges, but this is me. And ı want to... English is not my native language but in Turkish we have saying like "make peace with yourself". So if thats the word, i want to make peace with myself.
I'll definitely stick around. Being around all the "normal" people is really overwhelming for me. This place feels like a some sort of safe zone.
 
Marhaba! The scores indicate some autistic characteristics, but by themselves are meaningless. The important thing is how these characteristics affect your life. For example, I am ASD-1 (high level functioning, minimal assistance required), yet if you go by my social skills, I would probably be ASD-3 (low functioning, needs major amount of support). Getting a diagnosis does not change who you are, but is does give you understanding and perspective.

Good luck on your quest.
 
a tough place to be! i was fortunate (?) in that my mom was actually the one who suggested i might be autistic when i asked her if she thought i might have adhd. my sister confirmed that she was also suspicious i might be autistic, and mom has been very helpful with my seeing a psychologist.

i still haven't told my dad, and i probably wont. and that's ok.
 
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