• Replies 11 replies
  • Subscribers 88 subscribers
  • Views 2770 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Repetitive behaviours and restricted interests in childhood - girls

NAS72736

Hi there,

I have posted a few times on this topic - I'm an adult woman having my assessment next week.

I was wondering if there are any other women out there who have been diagnosed who did not display many of these 'repetitive behaviours and restricted interests' as young girls? I am trying to gather as much evidence as I can before my diagnosis (which I am getting quite anxious about). However I did not have many very intense interests - I had some strong interests but they were not 'obsessive,' neither did I have to follow a strict routine or get upset when things were changed - that I can remember. I did suffer anxiety though when transitioning up to secondary school and when changing classes in primary school.

I have plenty of examples of these repetitive behaviours and restricted interests in myself as an adult woman, including anxieties and phobias - but the childhood evidence is a bit lacking. 

I am just a bit worried that this might impact the assessment. 

I know that girls display less of these repetitive behaviours/ restricted interests and was wondering if anybody else could share which of these they remember from their childhoods in case there are any things that I did/thought that I overlooked.

Thanks all

Slight smile

Parents

  • Hi, I am actually also waiting to be assessed - For me realising that I am probably autistic is still a very recent revelation but what I have found is that it can be very hard to see those "autistic traits" in yourself as that is all you have known - when I was reading about autism in women I thought that a lot of the traits described sounded very normal... for example I hadn't realised that not everyone is so intensely focused on their interests as I am. Plus, I realised now that almost all of my handful of friends are also neurodivergent...  so it is likely you might not recognise some of the traits in yourself. 

    Also it is a spectrum so there is a lot of diversity and not everyone has all of the traits. 

    I think especially with interests it is hard to define what is 'repetitive/obsessive...' , especially when thinking back to childhood. 

    As for examples from my own childhood in terms of interests- When I was very young I think it was marine biology (i had loads of books on this and was fascinated by it- I even remember getting into an argument with my teacher who claimed whale sharks do not exist- they do...), then reading (I got through 1 book every 2 days on average or so when I was in primary school and early secondary school), possibly Harry Potter (though again lots of children are very interested in this- i reread them a lot though and engaged in other ways). And from around age 13 I became interested in biology and science and this has been my main special interest now for years and it is actually turning into my career. I end up getting so hyperfocused on this interest that nothing else seems to matter... 

    Good luck with your assessment! 

Reply

  • Hi, I am actually also waiting to be assessed - For me realising that I am probably autistic is still a very recent revelation but what I have found is that it can be very hard to see those "autistic traits" in yourself as that is all you have known - when I was reading about autism in women I thought that a lot of the traits described sounded very normal... for example I hadn't realised that not everyone is so intensely focused on their interests as I am. Plus, I realised now that almost all of my handful of friends are also neurodivergent...  so it is likely you might not recognise some of the traits in yourself. 

    Also it is a spectrum so there is a lot of diversity and not everyone has all of the traits. 

    I think especially with interests it is hard to define what is 'repetitive/obsessive...' , especially when thinking back to childhood. 

    As for examples from my own childhood in terms of interests- When I was very young I think it was marine biology (i had loads of books on this and was fascinated by it- I even remember getting into an argument with my teacher who claimed whale sharks do not exist- they do...), then reading (I got through 1 book every 2 days on average or so when I was in primary school and early secondary school), possibly Harry Potter (though again lots of children are very interested in this- i reread them a lot though and engaged in other ways). And from around age 13 I became interested in biology and science and this has been my main special interest now for years and it is actually turning into my career. I end up getting so hyperfocused on this interest that nothing else seems to matter... 

    Good luck with your assessment! 

Children
No Data