Am I autistic or just anxious?

It's possible to be autistic and have anxiety - they're common co-occurring conditions and they have some commonalities. Try taking a look at the information on this website to see whether you can relate to any of it. If you think autism is worth exploring, make a list of the autistic traits that you feel apply to you (again, you can get them from this website) and talk through the points with your GP.

Whether you're autistic or not, getting support is the main thing, so a bit of research and a chat with your GP is a good place to start. If you find your GP isn't very helpful or understanding, you could try self-referring to your local NHS mental health service. My mental health assessor referred me for treatment for my anxiety and OCD, but he also referred me to the local autism service for an assessment (even though it's not a mental health condition). I talked to him about my reasons for thinking that I was autistic and he really made the effort to listen and build-up a case for my referral.

Good luck with exploring everything - I hope you get the answers and support you're looking for.

Thank you so much for your response, I took the Autism quotient test online and got 33 and 8.0 for the AQ10 section.

There are many reasons I think I might be but I sometimes struggle to understand what certain questions means such as if I focus on a big picture or detail or like if I can read between the lines. I don't get what that means

I have self reffered to get CBT for my current anxiety but it will take 10 weeks for me to get a place, I'm going to the doctor tomorrow so perhaps I'll bring it up but I'm worried. Might sound silly but I worry they'll think I'm a bad mum or something will happen with my son if I say something :o

I hope everything goes well with you and you find answers also 

The fact that you're unsure of how to answer the questions could be an indicator in itself - lots of autistic people struggle with metaphors like 'reading between the lines'. I also find it hard to answer certain questions about autism because the way I behave is all I've ever known; it's hard to know what could be considered autistic, what's just my personality, and what's just everyday human behaviour. Hopefully an actual autism assessment would be easier (at least you could ask the assessor to clarify their questions).

Good luck with your doctor's appointment. I don't have children myself, but there are lots of autistic parents out there. As long as your children are safe and well cared for, that's what matters. If you want to check on your rights as a parent, it might be worth giving the National Autistic Society helpline a call - they should be able to give you more information.

Thank you

The fact that you're unsure of how to answer the questions could be an indicator in itself - lots of autistic people struggle with metaphors like 'reading between the lines'. I also find it hard to answer certain questions about autism because the way I behave is all I've ever known; it's hard to know what could be considered autistic, what's just my personality, and what's just everyday human behaviour. Hopefully an actual autism assessment would be easier (at least you could ask the assessor to clarify their questions).

Good luck with your doctor's appointment. I don't have children myself, but there are lots of autistic parents out there. As long as your children are safe and well cared for, that's what matters. If you want to check on your rights as a parent, it might be worth giving the National Autistic Society helpline a call - they should be able to give you more information.

Thank you

Good - glad to hear it

That's good to hear :) yes I'm good taking to a friend who also has aspergers so helping me :) 

I am, thank you Hope you are too.

Hope you are well also by the way :) 

You're welcome

Thank yo , I did end up taking the ap10 at the dr and got 9/10 so I'm probably going to get assessed thank you for the help

I agree - it's really tricky.

I think lots of parents worry about labels and it comes from a caring place, but we're fortunate to have grown up in a much more inclusive society than they did. 'Labels' can also mean you get the support you need, so I think that's a good thing.

Hi thanks for answering again, I thought so too. Its been difficult to answer exams questions in the past even if I knew the answer just because they've been worded weird and I didn't understand it properly... 

Yeah I get what you mean, especially with a later diagnoses, how are we meant to know something we consider normal isn't and therefore wouldn't even think to bring it up?

Thank you, it's more my dad instilled fear in me that if you're "labeled" social services will step in or something >.< but I'm great with my son and he's happy and healthy so not sure why a 'label' would mean people would have to get involved :o

Thanks again and you're very welcome