Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi everyone,
I'm 33 (and female, in case this is relevant) and currently waiting for my assessment, which I'm told will be in about 18 months. But I don't want to wait that long to try and move forward and work on myself (both to try and change what I can to have less anxiety, but also to accept some of my traits and not give myself such a hard time about them anymore).
Obviously until I have my assessment I won't know for sure whether or not I have ASD, but I was wondering, is it possible to have ASD traits without actually having ASD? I feel like despite not recognising myself in absolutely all the traits I've seen listed, I do recognise myself in a lot of them, and in a way that affects my life, my emotions, my anxiety and how I interact with people. So in a way I hope they'll say I have ASD as it would explain a lot, and I hope that it would help me feel better about myself, knowing that there is a reason why I am the way I am.
If they say I do not have ASD on the other hand, what does that mean in terms of the various traits that I do have? Is anyone else in the same situation, or was, until they had their assessment?
Thanks a lot for any advice.
Hi. I'm 25 and awaiting diagnosis. I've questioned myself over this too, but someone on this forum told me that nobody suspects they're autistic without very good reason, so that was helpful to hear.
While you're waiting for your assessment, I'd recommend looking at Purple Ella's videos on YouTube. She has some great strategies and you can always try them out before you get your official diagnosis.
Whether you're diagnosed or not, you're not imagining anything. Your experiences are real and genuine, and whether they're down to autism or not, it's good to get to know yourself better :)
DuckBread said:nobody suspects they're autistic without very good reason, so that was helpful to hear.
This is true. You wouldn't go researching about it unless you felt you were different, would you? Similarly, my friend or partner who say "well I do that too" when we try to have a discussion about it... they haven't felt that it causes them so much of a problem that they go resesrching why they are like that or do those things. They don't feel different enough or have problems enough that they want to understand WHY they behave that way or have those difficulties.