Published on 12, July, 2020
Hey guys,
The NHS has refused to refer me to a specialist and I cannot afford to go to a private specialist to get referred. I know it isn't viable to self diagnose but it would be really helpful if I could have your opinions as to whether you thought I sound like i might be on the spectrum somewhat.
These are the things I deem relevant:
Firstly, I know I definitely am very high functioning. I have never had trouble keeping or maintaining friendships. I am very sociable, and don't experience social anxiety. I do, however experience severe sensory overload. I also have a diagnosis of ADHD. My partner says that I sometimes talk a lot and take up more conversation time than her, so perhaps this indicates a lack of social reciprocity, but I am aware of when I do this, and I know I am very chatty. I am very emotionally sensitive. I experience hyperfocus which I have previously put down to my ADHD, and have deep knowledge in particular subjects. I have a very logical brain and have a degree in mathematics. I don't have any routines that I adhere by and I don't have a problem with change. My language/ speech isn't different. I was always very rebellious as a teenager and was always in trouble at school secondary school- I never understood why because I thought I was being good. I can be a touch direct with people at times and I often like to get the point across directly to people because I think that it's kinder not to lie to somebody, but i do this in a diplomatic and gentle way. On occasion I have behaved in ways that have caused people to react back to me in ways that have surprised me, as in the person has misinterpreted my behaviour to mean something else and I have been badly misunderstood. I never feel awkward in social situations, I am extraverted and am confident socially.
I also have a diagnosis of Complex PTSD which could account for some of the things I mentioned.
I would be so grateful for some feedback.
Thank you so much.
Hannah
"high functioning" within autism shouldnt really be used because it is unfair to those with that label. They still are autistic and have serious downtimes they just appear to be "functioning highly" ie may have a job, but they have many of the severe autistic traits and can become "low functioning" for hours to days. But it is a useful quickie description, just be careful with it.
It is very hard to say if you are on the autistic spectrum or not
against
1. u dont have social issues and are confident socially. Thats pretty big
2. autistic people are usually blunt, some will talk over you so such, you may want to walk away.
3. u dont have meltdowns / shutdowns / panic attacks
4. you have friends. autustic people usually dont
5. no stimming shown
6. no missing executive functioning mentioned
The diagnosis of PTSD and ADHD makes you very complex and you would indeed need a professional, but dont waste money on it, because getting a Autistic diagnosis would be of no use to you.
things to look into which would help your case for autism
: are there any other members of your family that have autism ? mother / nephews, aunts, uncles, father, cousins
: secret stimmming eg doodling alot
: people saying you are "autistic"
: do some of the online questionnaire tests to see if they indicate you are austistic
: solitary hobbies
feel free to ignore me
Hey thanks so much for your response. No one in my family has autism that I am aware of, but I don't know my father and I believe he suffers from Narcissistic personality Disorder. I wouldn't be that surprised if he had undiagnosed Autism too. This was a really helpful response and I really appreciate your help.
1) Yes I do have strong social skills so I realise this is probably a big thing to take into account.
2) I can be a little blunt and direct on occasion but this has rarely got me into trouble- perhaps indicating mild autism
3) I actually do have meltdowns/ breakdowns- I have always put this down to my CPTSD. I get triggered by things that relate to my childhood trauma and abuse, but this could also relate to autism?
4) Yes I have always had close friends
5) In very extreme moments of emotional overwhelm I will engage in stimming- in particular I have rocked back and forth. This only happens once every couple months. Also I have always doodled a lot and drawn on myself
6) I don't think my executive function is very good. I'm not very organised. I am also not very good at changing tasks from one thing to another. I'm best at hyper focusing on one main task. I hate doing lots of little tasks and I cannot multitask. I find this a real challenge in my job
Things to look into which would help my case for autism:
a) As mentioned, I don't have any members of family with autism but I wouldn't be hugely suprised if my dad was undiagnosed autistic
b) I will do some online tests and get back to this forum with the results :)
c) My only hobby is powerlifting, otherwise I really hate being alone as my childhood trauma was being abandoned so I have fears of abandonment
Again thanks so much for being so helpful! Have a wonderful day :)
x