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Questioning if I have autism in my thirties

Petalsforarmor

Does anyone else get obsessed with certain things? If I love something, I have to learn absolutely everything there is to know about it. If you showed me a 10 second clip from any episode of Buffy, I could tell you the episode title, and which series it was from. I can’t get my head around the fact that there are people who just have interests, but no obsessions. Like how do they live? Lol.

I also really struggle with social interactions. Especially if there are several people I don’t know, I get really overwhelmed and anxious. I find it hard to follow conversations when there are several going on in a room at once. I don’t know who to speak to or what to do, so am often the person sat alone. It takes me forever to feel comfortable around new 

I’m female and in the thirties and I’ve only recently realised that these are autism traits and it’s thrown me a bit. But I’m not sure if I’m just overthinking it. I know no one can diagnose me of course. I’m just wanted to see if others think it’s worth me looking into this more. I also have OCD and get distracted easily.

  • i think you should go a professional diagnosis for autism and ask if they can include adhd which may be the distraction part you mention. 

    also the test you did comes from research mostly on men so this is why you need someone with more experience in female diagnosis because it is being updated all the time now to catch traits missed by older test

    this lady is highly recommended by NAS and people here she diagnosed. She does both NHS and private diagnosis so if you are close by try her 

    www.northantspsychologist.co.uk/

  • in reply to Petalsforarmor

    Hi. I got diagnosed April last year at 37 and took this test. I scored 44 out of 50. Which led me to my gp and some official tests which led to my referral and assessment and my diagnosis. I met all criteria and scored highly on my assessment too. People always tell me “ you don’t look autistic..” I just wish they could see what’s happening in my head.. 

  • in reply to Ben

    Thank you, I also have to check everything multiple times before leaving the house.

    Thank you for the tip, I worry my mind will go blank

  • Those do sound like autistic traits. You could try doing the Autism Quotient test to get more of an idea before discussing it with a professional

  • I'm 39, awaiting an assessment. Many of the things you describe are similar to myself. I wanted to get a canal boat a few years back, subscribed to the canal magazine, watched all the you tube videos, went to the crick show, even bought plans so I could design and build the custom canal boat of my dreams. I also remember obsessing over a TV show called Due South. I wanted to move to Canada! Women on the spectrum can have different traits to men, and it's still being researched so highly recommend reading books by female authors on the spectrum. Rudy Simone has a helpful chart in one of her books - Aspergirls. And I really related to Cynthia Kim who wrote Nerdy, Shy and Socially inappropriate.

    Regardless of if you are formally diagnosed or not, being aware of it, can help you to understand how to cope with situations better. For myself, I now know why I struggled to cope when I was working in Theatre. I doubt I would return to theatre work, but I am looking at returning to dress history which was something I loved, but kind of stepped away from because I was too busy trying to be 'normal', without really knowing what normal meant. 

  • I'm like you except instead of Buffy it's The Simpsons seasons 1-9. 

    I don't really see any downsides to a diagnosis or assessment - maybe it could be argued by some that labels can be harmful but I think that's becoming an outdated stance. It might help you.

  • Hi ,

    Thank you for sharing this with the community. You may like to look at our information about autism spectrum disorders:
    https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/what-is-autism

    If you were interested in finding out if you are on the autism spectrum, you would need to have a formal diagnostic assessment. You may find it useful to have a look at the following link for further information about diagnosis and the benefits of getting one:

    https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/diagnosis

     Furthermore, it is important the professional you see has experience of autism spectrum disorders. You can find details of diagnostic services on our Autism Services Directory in the Assessment and diagnosis section: http://www.autism.org.uk/directory.aspx

    all the best,

    Chloe Mod

  • Hi Petals,

    I would say yes, as you list some classic traits, so what better than discussing it with a professioanl and having an assessemnt?  It could bring you great peace of mind, either way.

    Like you, I have social anxiety and OCD. The latter can be a blank blank nuisance at times, but I still have to do it.  One of my my worst is when I leave the house, I have to check absolutely everything several times....  and then some more. It just has to be done. 

    Start by seeing your GP. Take along a list of your traits, as your memory may well let you down and just after you've left the surgery you'll remember something important.    Oh yes, that happens.

    Ben