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Did you think you were autistic before someone suggested it?

Stuart333

I'm curious whether you can see it in yourself. I thought I was right and everyone else was wrong.

I suspected I was different, but squashed it, I was just extra normal. I couldn't figure out why I was confused and had bouts of depression,

I just wanted to know what was holding me back, why I had some atypical depression, and whether there was something up with how I communicated.

But there was no need for an autism test. I wasn't autistic surely.

Except the psychologists thought otherwise, 3 of them. I even argued with them, a sign in itself probably.

So did you guess, before someone suggested a screening test? Maybe the internet makes it more likely these days, but you need a reason to go looking.

Parents

  • Not a clue!!

    I just thought I was extremely shy and introverted.

    Therapy pointed me to possible ADHD, then the ADHD psychiatrist said I would benefit from an autism assessment. So I have both.

    The ADHD didn't really register that much with me but the autism diagnosis is proving much more difficult to accept. It makes me sad for my small self, but I'm in the process of repairing that relationship through therapy and hopefully being a bit kinder to myself and accepting my differences.

  • in reply to Lonehare12

    Are you able to say why you are finding the autism diagnosis harder to accept than ADHD?

    I'm just curious.

Reply Children
  • in reply to Stuart333

    Of course, no problem.

    I find ADHD easier to accept because I can see how it affects my focus and energy, in a good way, but autism feels much harder.

    It touches everything, how I relate to people, how I understand social situations, how I’ve had to mask myself my whole life.

    Growing up, I often felt different and misunderstood, and even as an adult I notice the impact in my relationships and work.

    Accepting autism makes me confront all those lifelong experiences, which is validating but also overwhelming.