My name is Corwin and I am almost certain that I am autistic. The idea hadn't entered my mind until a few years ago, when a therapist I was seeing for a different reason suggested it to me and my mother. She then confirmed that she had suspected as much since I was a small child and this was a shocking revelation for me.
Since then, I have hesitated to accept that as my identity because I didn't want to use the term willy-nilly, which I think would be offensive to the autistic community. However, more recently, I have started watching a lot of videos on the subject and reading articles. So many things I had attributed to other personal aspects like my known ADD diagnosis, asexuality, and just personality quirks have clearly been autistic behaviors. I began to take notice of the compulsive stimming I have always done (tapping my shoulder, hugging myself, pacing the perimeter of a room, grinding my teeth, etc.), uncharacteristically blowing up over very minor things, extreme passions to the exclusion of most other things, an intense feeling of alienation from those around me, very slow comprehension of societal norms, unintentional bluntness or callousness, inability to effectively determine what is appropriate to say, oversharing, etc. Now it feels like I've cleaned the window into my mind and able to see myself clearly for the first time.
But, despite me accepting these things as evidence, I still want to be sure. I don't want to fly off half-cocked and misattribute ordinary behavior to a label I do not own. So, I want help to confirm this with people who know better. I can't really afford the medical diagnosis right now, but if my suspicions are rational, I will definitely seek one in the future.
Feel free to ask me anything!
Since then, I have hesitated to accept that as my identity because I didn't want to use the term willy-nilly, which I think would be offensive to the autistic community. However, more recently, I have started watching a lot of videos on the subject and reading articles. So many things I had attributed to other personal aspects like my known ADD diagnosis, asexuality, and just personality quirks have clearly been autistic behaviors. I began to take notice of the compulsive stimming I have always done (tapping my shoulder, hugging myself, pacing the perimeter of a room, grinding my teeth, etc.), uncharacteristically blowing up over very minor things, extreme passions to the exclusion of most other things, an intense feeling of alienation from those around me, very slow comprehension of societal norms, unintentional bluntness or callousness, inability to effectively determine what is appropriate to say, oversharing, etc. Now it feels like I've cleaned the window into my mind and able to see myself clearly for the first time.
But, despite me accepting these things as evidence, I still want to be sure. I don't want to fly off half-cocked and misattribute ordinary behavior to a label I do not own. So, I want help to confirm this with people who know better. I can't really afford the medical diagnosis right now, but if my suspicions are rational, I will definitely seek one in the future.
Feel free to ask me anything!