Do you think I am autistic ?

[meza]

Hello everyone

First of all, I am from France so I'm sorry if my english is not perfect.


I'm new on this forum. I have decided to join in because I think have autism.

I'm 19. I have already been diagnosed with social anxiety. For one year, I have been reading a lot about autism. I do recognize myself in many autistic traits, but it could be due to my social anxiety.

I'm going to share with you a few reasons why I think I have autism.Can you please tell me if I sound autistic to you?

Some reasons why I think I have autism :

- I can't make friends. The more I grow up, the more it gets difficult. I’ve had social anxiety since I’m 6 years old. But as a child I was able to make friends at school even if often found myself left out by my friends because I was a little weird I guess : I had an original sens of humour and I was quite reserved. In middle school, it became very complicated because people my age were no longer children, they were teenagers. I wasn’t being bullied but they were judging me, sometimes mocking me. In highschool I had a lot of panick attacks. I went to a highschool where I knew no one. I managed to make some friends but I was extremly shy at the begging and it took months for me to really open up to them. I had a breakdown on my first year of highschool. I started therapy and I had to start taking antidepressants. It felt much better on my second year of high school. But it didn’t at all on my last year. I had only one year left until college so I freaked out, I had a big breakedown and I finally dropped out of school. Fortunately, I managed to pass my A-level (I studied at home the whole year). I have been in college for two years now and I haven’t been able to make any friends. I tried at the very begining : I was hanging out with two girls and I was talking to other people too. But I had a fight with one of the girls : she found me too anoying because we were working on a group project and I wouldn’t stop criticizing her work. Since then, I seat on my own in class. As I live next to the university, I go home as soon as I have free time. And I have never had any extra-scholar activity so I have nowhere else than university to meet people. Currently, I have one friend. I have known her for 8 years. We get along because she’s quite introvert like me, even if we’re not shy towards each other. She undestrands me and that’s what I like the most about out friendship. Otherwise, I have my family I can rely on, but that’s all.

- I am scared of people I also have a lack of interest for people.

- I'm not expressive. I don’t smile a lot, I have a monotone voice and monotone gesture. I didn’t use to notice it. I only know it because people often tell me about it and because I have seen myself on videos.

- I don’t have very common interests. I like movies, music, fashion, series like people my age. But I’m also very interested in indigenous folks, human rights, poverty, anthropology, history, languages, evolution theory… And I don’t like social media.

- I don’t have huge difficulties understanding sarcasm and facial expressions but I do admit that it can be disturbing to talk with people who say things that don’t match with their facial expression or tone of voice.

- Sometimes people don’t get what I mean because I’m too direct, or because my words don’t match with my tone of voice or my facial expression.

-I’m often told that I look younger than I am. I care about the way I dress but I don’t like make up.

-Sometime I need more time than others to understand/do things. For example, I haven’t passed my driving licence yet because it is very hard for me to do several things at once while driving. I can’t remember verbal instructions, I have to write everything down.

-I’m very uncomfortable with expressing my feelings or emotions. Even with my family.

-I’m uncomfortable with hugging, kissing and nearly any kind of touching.
-There are surfaces I can’t stand touching. But I don’t know if it’s a sensory issue or if it is because I have a dry skin.

-I can be quite moody sometimes

-I’m reassured by routine
-I pay a lot of attention to details, espacially to the words I use when I’m talking or to the words other people are using when they’re talking to me.

-I hate injustice and feeling like people don’t understand me.

-I can be very organized but I can also be very disorganized
… And there are a lot of other reasons…

Thanks for reading ! (I’m sorry it was so long)

 

[Tom]

You know of course is is just guesswork on our part. But from what you wrote it does sound like the usual characteristics of HFA. Just so you know, not all people who suspect it go on to formal diagnosis. For some, self diagnosis, once they are convinced is enough.

 

[Fino]

Being uncomfortable expressing emotions is a part of autism? I thought I was just emotionally retarded.

 

[hiraeth]

Welcome.

For what it's worth, I can definitely relate to a lot of that.

 

[Loren]

I am autistic and possess all of the traits you have listed.

Welcome to the forum ! : ))

 

[SusanLR]

I have those traits except for the shyness and being afraid of people.
As you stated also, I just don't have the interest.
HFA.

 

[Sara3]

Based on the information you gave, it is highly possible. The important thing is to recognize the difficulties you have and overcome them. It is not easy but you learn a lot.

 

[Major Tom]

Welcome! I share a lot of the traits you listed, but I am not qualified to diagnose you. It might be a good idea to get assessed by a professional if you are concerned about it.

 

[Pats]

Welcome. You fit right in.

 

[Sarah S]

Welcome Meza dear

Like the others here said alredy MANY of the symptoms youre describing here is indeed part of ASD (i believe also in France it has been lumped up to Autistic Spectrum Disorder) and youre background sounds very similar to mien not al but most of it in some ways utliest

What i would suggest is that you contact the docs and ask fore a NPD Neurological Psychological Disorders evaluation as it seems to me you might also have (like me )Multiple diagnoses (ie Possibly also (like me ) ADHD were there is known and usual side diagnosis like Anxiety ,depression and Bipolar disorder are also common (and Yes i have them as well) , Its actually more common for multiple diagnosis (ie usely ASD and ADHD )

 

[Iamnotarabot]

I would say that the best way in order to get a diagnosis is to ask your relatives ( if they are open to this kind of discussion) about your childhood and if you had "weird" behaviors".

I am from france aswell and I had a diagnosis thanks to the different tests and my current situation but also because I gathered some informations about my past/childhood. Once we are adult if we are functionning our autistic traits are hidden behind our adaptation, so realy it is harder to tell if it is autism or not social anxiety , trauma, or anything that could lead to the same issues you have.

Btw feel free to post about your diagnosis process because I'm from france aswell and I'm curious about it !

Good luck.

 

[BrokenBoy]

Welcome! I share a lot of the traits you listed, but I am not qualified to diagnose you. It might be a good idea to get assessed by a professional if you are concerned about it.

I agree with this especially. I'm really against self-diagnosis(with some exceptions on some very rare occasions) and other forms of armchair psychology in general. @meza you need to talk to professional if you want a informative and useful answer on topic.

 

[Suzanne]

Bonjour Meza!

Bienvenue.

Your English is FAR superior to my French and I live in your country. Where abouts are you situated? I am in the Brittany area and much to my utter amazement, I am en route to being officially diagnosed. I am seeing a specialist in autism. They recognise aspergers, but like all therapist now, say that there is a wide spectrum.

We are virtually the same in our behaviour, accept I am very aminated and do not have a monotoned voice, unless I have to explain emotions ( according to my husband). I LOVE social media. It enables me to be free of well, what entangles me in life.

If you are in the Paris area, I am pretty sure, you can find an expert in autism. Especially if I have found one in a little village lol

 

[Fino]

I've been diagnosed with a lot of things, and I have had difficulty discerning the difference between a professional diagnosis and a self-diagnosis. They've memorized the criteria and see if it's there. How is that difficult? What am I missing, other than the fear of confirmation bias and other such biases inevitable when dealing with the self? Or is that it?

 

[BrokenBoy]

They've memorized the criteria and see if it's there. How is that difficult?

That's where you're wrong. The problem with armchair psychology is that the person self diagnosing often sees mental health diagnoses as capable of being easily sorted into neat categories by using a set of simplistic lists of symptoms.

Free Your Mind: The Problem with Armchair Psychology

"But, I feel, this particular attitude towards mental illnesses, in many ways, trivialises mental health conditions as those whom are often the givers of this sort of "advice" seem to fail to understand the true complicated nature of mental illnesses."

As you can see, it's a lot more complex than "memorizing the criteria and seeing if it's there".

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/debunking-myths-the-mind/201005/the-dangers-self-diagnosis

"Then there is the fact that we can know and see ourselves, but sometimes, we need a mirror to see ourselves more clearly. The doctor is that mirror. By self-diagnosing, you may be missing something that you cannot see. For example, you may be overwhelmed by anxiety and think that you have an anxiety disorder. The anxiety disorder may be covering up a major depressive disorder. Approximately 2/3 of people who present to outpatient clinics with anxiety have depression as well. In general, when two or more syndromes occur in the same person, we call this comorbidity. When people self-diagnose, they often miss the comorbidity that exists."

Even if you are not NT self-diagnosis can still be incorrect and harmful because your true disorder might affect your analytical skills which might make you think you have a certain disorder when you actually have something else. You need a doctor because you need a "mirror" to see your "true self" better.


For these reasons I strongly discourage self-diagnosis and it should never be done 99.9% percent of the time.

 

[Fino]

That's where you're wrong. The problem with armchair psychology is that the person self diagnosing often sees mental health diagnoses as capable of being easily sorted into neat categories by using a set of simplistic lists of symptoms.

Free Your Mind: The Problem with Armchair Psychology

"But, I feel, this particular attitude towards mental illnesses, in many ways, trivialises mental health conditions as those whom are often the givers of this sort of "advice" seem to fail to understand the true complicated nature of mental illnesses."

As you can see, it's a lot more complex than "memorizing the criteria and seeing if it's there".

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/debunking-myths-the-mind/201005/the-dangers-self-diagnosis

"Then there is the fact that we can know and see ourselves, but sometimes, we need a mirror to see ourselves more clearly. The doctor is that mirror. By self-diagnosing, you may be missing something that you cannot see. For example, you may be overwhelmed by anxiety and think that you have an anxiety disorder. The anxiety disorder may be covering up a major depressive disorder. Approximately 2/3 of people who present to outpatient clinics with anxiety have depression as well. In general, when two or more syndromes occur in the same person, we call this comorbidity. When people self-diagnose, they often miss the comorbidity that exists."

Even if you are not NT self-diagnosis can still be incorrect and harmful because your true disorder might affect your analytical skills which might make you think you have a certain disorder when you actually have something else. You need a doctor because you need a "mirror" to see your "true self" better.


For these reasons I strongly discourage self-diagnosis and it should never be done 99.9% percent of the time.

Fascinating! I've never read on that subject! Thank you! I completely agree with both articles!

 

[Iamnotarabot]

For these reasons I strongly discourage self-diagnosis and it should never be done 99.9% percent of the time.

Well I agree on the reasons why you are against elf diagnosis, but to some degree self diagnosis, or in a lesser degree let's say self analysis, was realy important for me in order to get me started on the process of an actual diagnosis.

I searched for hours online and looked at all the main mood and personnality disorder in order to know what was going on with me, only to find after hours a video of a youtuber with ASD that shared behavior with me , so I started to actually believe I could be autistic and not something else.

Then I seek an actual diagnosis, so you will say that I didnt relie on a self diagnosis ( because I am a very unsure person anyway) but I still took some steps that are very much like a "self diagnosis".

So when I went to a psychologist and then a psychiatrist, I was giving them all the informations about my past and present so they can tell me if it is related to autism or not, you can say there is a bias but I always asked if it was not just anxiety or depression ( they denied I had depression honestly but I think I had moments with depression in my life, and taking steps toward an asd diagnosis changed that a lot) ; then we did an IQ test and all the other stuff, and during some sessions I had ankward moments hehe)

But I agree that self diagnosis only isnt enought.

 

[Streetwise]

Hello everyone

First of all, I am from France so I'm sorry if my english is not perfect.


I'm new on this forum. I have decided to join in because I think have autism.

I'm 19. I have already been diagnosed with social anxiety. For one year, I have been reading a lot about autism. I do recognize myself in many autistic traits, but it could be due to my social anxiety.

I'm going to share with you a few reasons why I think I have autism.Can you please tell me if I sound autistic to you?

Some reasons why I think I have autism :

- I can't make friends. The more I grow up, the more it gets difficult. I’ve had social anxiety since I’m 6 years old. But as a child I was able to make friends at school even if often found myself left out by my friends because I was a little weird I guess : I had an original sens of humour and I was quite reserved. In middle school, it became very complicated because people my age were no longer children, they were teenagers. I wasn’t being bullied but they were judging me, sometimes mocking me. In highschool I had a lot of panick attacks. I went to a highschool where I knew no one. I managed to make some friends but I was extremly shy at the begging and it took months for me to really open up to them. I had a breakdown on my first year of highschool. I started therapy and I had to start taking antidepressants. It felt much better on my second year of high school. But it didn’t at all on my last year. I had only one year left until college so I freaked out, I had a big breakedown and I finally dropped out of school. Fortunately, I managed to pass my A-level (I studied at home the whole year). I have been in college for two years now and I haven’t been able to make any friends. I tried at the very begining : I was hanging out with two girls and I was talking to other people too. But I had a fight with one of the girls : she found me too anoying because we were working on a group project and I wouldn’t stop criticizing her work. Since then, I seat on my own in class. As I live next to the university, I go home as soon as I have free time. And I have never had any extra-scholar activity so I have nowhere else than university to meet people. Currently, I have one friend. I have known her for 8 years. We get along because she’s quite introvert like me, even if we’re not shy towards each other. She undestrands me and that’s what I like the most about out friendship. Otherwise, I have my family I can rely on, but that’s all.

- I am scared of people I also have a lack of interest for people.

- I'm not expressive. I don’t smile a lot, I have a monotone voice and monotone gesture. I didn’t use to notice it. I only know it because people often tell me about it and because I have seen myself on videos.

- I don’t have very common interests. I like movies, music, fashion, series like people my age. But I’m also very interested in indigenous folks, human rights, poverty, anthropology, history, languages, evolution theory… And I don’t like social media.

- I don’t have huge difficulties understanding sarcasm and facial expressions but I do admit that it can be disturbing to talk with people who say things that don’t match with their facial expression or tone of voice.

- Sometimes people don’t get what I mean because I’m too direct, or because my words don’t match with my tone of voice or my facial expression.

-I’m often told that I look younger than I am. I care about the way I dress but I don’t like make up.

-Sometime I need more time than others to understand/do things. For example, I haven’t passed my driving licence yet because it is very hard for me to do several things at once while driving. I can’t remember verbal instructions, I have to write everything down.

-I’m very uncomfortable with expressing my feelings or emotions. Even with my family.

-I’m uncomfortable with hugging, kissing and nearly any kind of touching.
-There are surfaces I can’t stand touching. But I don’t know if it’s a sensory issue or if it is because I have a dry skin.

-I can be quite moody sometimes

-I’m reassured by routine
-I pay a lot of attention to details, espacially to the words I use when I’m talking or to the words other people are using when they’re talking to me.

-I hate injustice and feeling like people don’t understand me.

-I can be very organized but I can also be very disorganized
… And there are a lot of other reasons…

Thanks for reading ! (I’m sorry it was so long)

got to say i'm intrigued to meet a person who was not socialised !,psychologists say someone could be like an autistic person !but if they were not socialised , that would make you look like an autistic person !as I'm autistic I can't imagine what it would be like .
I can under stand sarcasm when I'm not anxious , I was born in the UK !but never received the English portion of a high school diploma !but in the UK you still graduate.
The English you and I are speaking is a trade language , which is why it is hard for you to understand ,old English would've been easier for you as it was based on Old high German.
that's why I find it hard to speak .

 

[dragstone]

I can't make friends. The more I grow up, the more it gets difficult. I’ve had social anxiety since I’m 6 years old.

It is often hard to distinguish between autism and social anxiety alone because they can be co-occuring. Not everyone on the spectrum has social anxiety but it is common. That being said, it has been similar for me in that as I grow older, it seems to be more burdensome to make new friends (probably because I'm well past school age now). I don't really have an interest in friendship anymore, partly because it's too stress inducing and partly because there's just no desire for it.

Which leads to this:

- I am scared of people I also have a lack of interest for people.

Yep. The lack of interest might be a sign but it's by no means a concrete one.

- I'm not expressive. I don’t smile a lot, I have a monotone voice and monotone gesture. I didn’t use to notice it. I only know it because people often tell me about it and because I have seen myself on videos.

I don't display a lot of emotion either, at least in comparison to some others. This is a common trait in ASD. It might also just be a personality or cultural trait. But since others notice and tell you so, it might be a strong indicator.

- I don’t have very common interests. I like movies, music, fashion, series like people my age. But I’m also very interested in indigenous folks, human rights, poverty, anthropology, history, languages, evolution theory… And I don’t like social media.

Eh.. this one I'm not sold on. People have all kinds of interests, including the one's you listed. If you have very restricted and/or obsessive interests, however, maybe a sign.

I don’t have huge difficulties understanding sarcasm and facial expressions

Yeah neither do I. It's also a misconception that people with autism must have problems with these things. The same can be said about having difficulty with understanding idioms and metaphor. Perhaps if one is on the lower end of the spectrum, but otherwise no.

- Sometimes people don’t get what I mean because I’m too direct, or because my words don’t match with my tone of voice or my facial expression.

This one is getting closer to ASD. I find it interesting that people don't know what you mean because you're too direct, though. It seems like the more direct, the more easily things will be understood (which people may find offensive depending on the context). The words not matching your tone or expression could be ASD or just aversion to conflict, if you're trying to somehow minimize the impact of the words.

-I’m often told that I look younger than I am. I care about the way I dress but I don’t like make up.

Nah. This probably has nothing to do with ASD.

-Sometime I need more time than others to understand/do things. For example, I haven’t passed my driving licence yet because it is very hard for me to do several things at once while driving. I can’t remember verbal instructions, I have to write everything down.

Yes. One of the stronger indicators. Multitasking can be notoriously hard for people with autism. That's not to say that it's impossible. Just tough. Needing more time to understand and do things can be a sign of a lot of different things, though, so that one needs more context.

-I’m very uncomfortable with expressing my feelings or emotions. Even with my family.

Generally, I also do. This is just a maybe in terms of autism, though. There are cultural considerations as well.

-I’m uncomfortable with hugging, kissing and nearly any kind of touching.
-There are surfaces I can’t stand touching. But I don’t know if it’s a sensory issue or if it is because I have a dry skin.

Both of these can be indicators. I am particularly sensitive to sounds (like styrofoam, broom sweeping sounds, chalkboard writing, etc), moreso than touch. But some types of fabric irritate me.

-I can be quite moody sometimes

Aren't we all though? This doesn't say much about ASD.

-I’m reassured by routine
-I pay a lot of attention to details, espacially to the words I use when I’m talking or to the words other people are using when they’re talking to me.

Routine and details - check and check. If you are particularly disturbed when routine is disrupted (like really, really upset on the inside), it's probably a sign. And individuals with autism can be quite particular to the details, regardless of what the subject is.

-I hate injustice and feeling like people don’t understand me.

Nobody is truly understood and no one likes injustice, unless one is a psychopath.

-I can be very organized but I can also be very disorganized

Same. But I'm not sure it has anything in particular to do with autism either way. Might be OCD if obsessively organized. Or not anything at all.

 

[Sarah S]

Quite informative reply there Dragstone indeed . BUT if i may ever so humbly ad a few tiny little things ?

You havent conciderd the clear fact that

A the out showing symptoms is considerably different between boys and girl . Boys is more out showing and direct so to say so its easier to notice this things. Whereas girls are more subtle in there display of said symptoms and therefore less visible (in my case it took until i got i think 30 (latest evaluation ) before they found out i had ASD as well (obviously i had it from birth but they just hadent discovered it before )

B NPD Neurological Psychological Disorders is HIGHLY individual so its therefore as i said harder for even us diagnosed to determan if someone indeed or dont have ASD hence i always suggest see a professional to get evaluated . If this is not possible than yes id say some significant ASD traits are indeed showing in Meza HOWEVER as i as i aid only a professional NSD evaluation can properly determain if a NSD diagnose is the case or not and what cind

C its not uncommon to have multiple diagnosis either (infact there is more or less the norm to have utliest two or more) so there may be some added diagnosis to this as well