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What confirmed your own autism suspicions?

Violetfred

Hello, I am very new to all this, so please forgive any faux-pa's I make regarding post-etiquette. 

I am awaiting autism  diagnosis on the NHS. I have read up extensively on the classic signs, but I am curious what specifically confirmed it for you.¹ I have made many analogies to people over the years, as I have struggled to find a cause for what I believe is behind my decades-long battle with anxiety and depression. I am 52 years old

It is like you are walking around in a big spacesuit. You can perform basic tasks but are unable to interact with people on an intimate level. They see you, but are unaware you are in this suit. It's frustrating, as you can see people living their lives, while you can only watch. 

This is the best description of how I feel and it is a desperately lonely place to be. I often contemplate the point of it all when It seems an impossible problem to conquer in an ever increasingly complicated world.

Apologies for the ramble, but it would be nice to know I'm not alone.

Parents

  • the age. I'm also new here. the age becouse I can't explain anymore why I'm so.. strange? (I'm not an english speaker). But I read here - everybody want to chage. I don't want something will change, not in my life. I will be happy that all the others will change. I feel bad not becouse of me, it's always about what I know that people think about me. and, I don't have fear, I'm not sad, ... maybe its not ASD? I read and almost anything its "me". all the major things. can someone be weird but normal?

  • in reply to pupi
    pupi said:
    can someone be weird but normal?

    I think the definition of an autist could be exactly this sometimes.

    We are weird compated to neurotypical people but normal for most other autists.

Reply Children
  • in reply to pupi
    pupi said:
    it seem that if you autistic you are - I don't know how to say, so i'll use - "good boy".

    There are plenty of "bad boys" with autism. A few people on here have matched this label in their lives (even me) where we break societies rules, can do illegal things, treat people badly etc.

    It is possible to have more than one neurodiverse condition so your traits may be partly explained by autism and partly by another condition (eg ADHD, bipolar etc).

    It takes a trained and experienced professional to work out what is the situation so I would try to find one with a LOT of experience and work with them to find out.

    Once you know exactly what your situation is then you can work out how best to deal with each of the things causing you problems.

  • in reply to Iain

    thanks that's what i mean. I think that a lot of what I read, and some youtube channel, miss this. they talking about "side efects". I had a lot of diagnozies in my life. they tried to understand what it is... now I think it cant be autizm. it look like. but it's not. I have all the things that written, but it seem that if you autistic you are - I don't know how to say, so i'll use - "good boy".
    maybe I'm alien

  • in reply to pupi
    pupi said:
    do you mean that the "test" is how much it affected my life?

    Yes - there is a good explanation about what the criteria are:

    https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/diagnosis/assessment-and-diagnosis/criteria-and-tools-used-in-an-autism-assessment

    The traits will have to have a "serious" impact on your life and you have to show a wide enough range of these traits to reach the level that gives an autism diagnosis.

    The reason for this is the diagnosis is a label for you being disabled - and you can then use it to help with getting help for it.

    pupi said:
    I can't understand how someone have family,

    If you mean someone having a partner and children then there are quite a lot of people here who have a partner and sometimes children.

    My experience (note I am not a professional in this area) is that autistic people who do have children often have a lot of problems from this. Part is due to their ability to cope with the impact on their life and the other is the fact that their children are likely to be neurodiverse themselves and can become difficult for them to manage.

  • in reply to Iain

    thank you. do you mean that the "test" is how much it affected my life? I always think this should be the question. I can't understand how someone have family, becouse it mean he did all the way for that. in other hand you can be outsider - it depend the spesific socity.. ("my definition" - I'm not speak english so maybe I use wrong word)

  • in reply to pupi
    pupi said:
    can someone be weird - not autists.

    If you mean can someone be weird but not be autistic themselves - the answer is yes.

    Autism, or more accurately neurodiversity is a spectrum condition so there will be lots of people who have some autistic traits (which could mean weird in your definition) but are not seriously enough affected to be considered autistic.

    The diagnosis of autism is what I am referring to here - you need to meet a threshold of enough autistic traits at a serious level to be given the diagnosis.

    The issue here is you could have one person who is only 1% less affected than another and only one will be given a diagnosis. It is a flaw with the system but there is not a better system available yet.

  • in reply to Iain

    but can someone be weird - not autists. I try askng for myself. what was till 20 years ago. where is the line.