Things you did that looking back make your realise you were autistic

Great discussion!

There have been lots of clues about me being autistic, however there are a few main ones:

•  I have been and will always be an avid observer of human interaction- I much preferred to watch people chat or play rather than engage with them.
•  I have always been a very deep and analytical thinker- often questioning the meaning of life at a young age.
• Lots of vocal stims as a child 
• Love of learning- my interests have also been revolved around collecting facts and information.
• Strengths in written communication- I have always been a very natural writer 
• Attention to detail and pattern recognition- I used to memorise car number plates as a child 

And many more….

only recently diagnosed and everything that you say makes sense, i thought that was "normal" but never understood why i felt so different from everybody else

•  in addition adhd was blurring the lines, the constant mental chatter ( i thought that was normal and everyon had a narrator) the social anxiety,
• the masking and learning what is acceptable or not, 
• thinking " you need to smile now" when meeting people
• my inability to be diplomatic and very direct
• me nor working out the subtleties of what someone says and reading between the lines.
• needing to have very clear objectives and deadlines, a structure otherwise total paralysis ( adhd kicks in)
• fixating on previous boyfriends, hobbies, intense thirst for learning EVERYTHING about someone, something, anything
• reading at an earlier age and seeing patterns everywhere
• dislike of certain color combination
• sensory overload and meltdowns
• moodiness, depression, outburst, sensitivity made even worse in adolescence and at puberty
• zero filters (but learnt to hold back)
• operating on a 1-2-1 with friends and overwhelmed in large groups
• feeling lonely and misunderstood
• eating the same breakfast every day and drinking from the same cup  designated for tea / or coffee
• eating with specific forks and knives ( need matching too)
• doing things in a specific sequence and if not is causing me intense distress

only recently diagnosed and everything that you say makes sense, i thought that was "normal" but never understood why i felt so different from everybody else

•  in addition adhd was blurring the lines, the constant mental chatter ( i thought that was normal and everyon had a narrator) the social anxiety,
• the masking and learning what is acceptable or not, 
• thinking " you need to smile now" when meeting people
• my inability to be diplomatic and very direct
• me nor working out the subtleties of what someone says and reading between the lines.
• needing to have very clear objectives and deadlines, a structure otherwise total paralysis ( adhd kicks in)
• fixating on previous boyfriends, hobbies, intense thirst for learning EVERYTHING about someone, something, anything
• reading at an earlier age and seeing patterns everywhere
• dislike of certain color combination
• sensory overload and meltdowns
• moodiness, depression, outburst, sensitivity made even worse in adolescence and at puberty
• zero filters (but learnt to hold back)
• operating on a 1-2-1 with friends and overwhelmed in large groups
• feeling lonely and misunderstood
• eating the same breakfast every day and drinking from the same cup  designated for tea / or coffee
• eating with specific forks and knives ( need matching too)
• doing things in a specific sequence and if not is causing me intense distress

Hi. Just reading your list with interest. I too am very into things matching.

Also you mention colour combination and I wonder if that is similar to me. Colours in clothes in particular have to look good together. I often find it difficult to look at people on TV if tops and trousers/skirts don't go or ties with shirts. I am very particular with my own clothes, even the socks.

Val Aspie said:

only recently diagnosed and everything that you say makes sense, i thought that was "normal" but never understood why i felt so different from everybody else

Glad my comment resonates with you!

You have a very long list of examples that could have led to you being identified as autistic at an earlier age.

It’s only after the realisation of our autistic identities that we have the opportunity to reflect on our lives in this way.

By the way, do you know the history of the terms Asperger and Aspie? If not, it is important to be aware of where it comes from.  I have linked to an article about the history of these terms below:

Trigger Warning- harm and mistreatment of autistic people:

theautisticadvocate.com/.../