Someone noticed at work

I'm in my mid 40s female. I've always felt that there was something different about me. I'm very shy and quiet, struggle with listening to instructions and tend to make mistakes. I also get bad anxiety. I've just been through a disciplinary process at work (I wasn't fired thankfully I got a warning), about an oversight I did regarding privacy and after talking things through with my rep he asked me if I ever thought I have autism. It got me thinking about some of my traits and behaviour, and some of the things I did at school. I used to bring a pair of pyjamas in so I could touch/feel them throughout the day. It gave me comfort, and I still do this when I go to bed, I like the feel of the covers so I stroke them until I go to sleep. I also had selective mutism and didn’t want to speak to the teachers. I have a twin too who is similar. My rep said women tend to mask which is why they struggle to get a diagnosis. 

Has anyone else had a lightbulb moment where someone they know or trust has mentioned they might have autism? I'm going to look into getting an assessment.

Parents
  • Welcome to the community!
    My teachers at school suggested to my mom that I might be autistic, I had selective mutism, but they thought I was non speaking. But my mom denied and ignored that. I discovered around 1,5 year ago what is HFA, traits and kept it for myself till I started having various problems again. Decided to describe it to my therapist with my own words and to my a bit of surprise the therapist came to the same conclusion. 
    as for now not officially diagnosed, but I don’t know how it goes further. 

Reply
  • Welcome to the community!
    My teachers at school suggested to my mom that I might be autistic, I had selective mutism, but they thought I was non speaking. But my mom denied and ignored that. I discovered around 1,5 year ago what is HFA, traits and kept it for myself till I started having various problems again. Decided to describe it to my therapist with my own words and to my a bit of surprise the therapist came to the same conclusion. 
    as for now not officially diagnosed, but I don’t know how it goes further. 

Children
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