Hello everyone, I hope you are all doing well.
I am a 32 year old man from Ireland and in recent years i have come to believe I may have high functioning autism. However I am undiagnosed and wondering should I proceed with an assessment.
From a very young age I have felt different to other peers and even my siblings. I grew up in a sibship of 7 and was the youngest. I performed well academically at school however I always was on the fringes. In primary school I do not think the social demands were as high so I didn't suffer too much.
When I moved to secondary school/high school the social demands were higher than my capabilities. My days consisted of going to school to attend classes and go home again. I did not know what to say or do to appeal to my peers. When I was chatting to peers I struggled with maintaining any meaningful connections. I was bullied in secondary school for being naieve and shy.
I escaped into a world of education and did well in my examinations. I got accepted into medical school. Once again my social deficits became apparent in college. I floated on the edges of groups and never knew how to develop relationships with peers and part of me found if too difficult. I forced myself into attending parties because I thought that was the done thing. I can say that in college I didnt make one good friend even though I didnt try my hardest to puy myself out there.
I completed medical school and now work as a doctor.
I know I have rambled on so I will summarise other aspects of my life that may be relevant:
- eye contact very difficult, unless I know someone very well
- unusual interests when I was young e.g. soap operas, being around adults
- I find it hard to understand plots to movies or series
- by the age of 10 I knew 90% capitals of the world off by heart.
- i notice very intricate details about people e.g. piece if clothing and recognise them in future by this detail.
- I struggle to understand people's intentions which can get me into trouble
- I get obsessed with certain things and follow it closely e.g. true crime
- I find bathing in shower uncomfortable at times and can't put my head under shower
- the thought of going to social events strike fear in Me
- I struggle to decipher if someone is joking or serious
- I am often the last to understand a joke
- I prefer non fiction, fiction bores me.
- in social situations I often have to consciously have to think about what is best socially appropriate way to act or gesture in an encounter may be
- I find it hard to display appropriate emotion in very sad or happy situations even though I know cognitively that my internal reaction isn't proportionate.
I am really glad to be part of this forum as it is only in recent years that I'm becoming more aware of adult autism. I would appreciate any advice or suggestions you may have for me. Also I would appreciate your opinions on whether my 'symptoms ' would warrant an ASD assessment. Many thanks
I am a 32 year old man from Ireland and in recent years i have come to believe I may have high functioning autism. However I am undiagnosed and wondering should I proceed with an assessment.
From a very young age I have felt different to other peers and even my siblings. I grew up in a sibship of 7 and was the youngest. I performed well academically at school however I always was on the fringes. In primary school I do not think the social demands were as high so I didn't suffer too much.
When I moved to secondary school/high school the social demands were higher than my capabilities. My days consisted of going to school to attend classes and go home again. I did not know what to say or do to appeal to my peers. When I was chatting to peers I struggled with maintaining any meaningful connections. I was bullied in secondary school for being naieve and shy.
I escaped into a world of education and did well in my examinations. I got accepted into medical school. Once again my social deficits became apparent in college. I floated on the edges of groups and never knew how to develop relationships with peers and part of me found if too difficult. I forced myself into attending parties because I thought that was the done thing. I can say that in college I didnt make one good friend even though I didnt try my hardest to puy myself out there.
I completed medical school and now work as a doctor.
I know I have rambled on so I will summarise other aspects of my life that may be relevant:
- eye contact very difficult, unless I know someone very well
- unusual interests when I was young e.g. soap operas, being around adults
- I find it hard to understand plots to movies or series
- by the age of 10 I knew 90% capitals of the world off by heart.
- i notice very intricate details about people e.g. piece if clothing and recognise them in future by this detail.
- I struggle to understand people's intentions which can get me into trouble
- I get obsessed with certain things and follow it closely e.g. true crime
- I find bathing in shower uncomfortable at times and can't put my head under shower
- the thought of going to social events strike fear in Me
- I struggle to decipher if someone is joking or serious
- I am often the last to understand a joke
- I prefer non fiction, fiction bores me.
- in social situations I often have to consciously have to think about what is best socially appropriate way to act or gesture in an encounter may be
- I find it hard to display appropriate emotion in very sad or happy situations even though I know cognitively that my internal reaction isn't proportionate.
I am really glad to be part of this forum as it is only in recent years that I'm becoming more aware of adult autism. I would appreciate any advice or suggestions you may have for me. Also I would appreciate your opinions on whether my 'symptoms ' would warrant an ASD assessment. Many thanks
