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Possible autism?

tkoMar

So, I've been suspecting I had autism for a bit, but im also not sure i do- my mom said i had speech issues and she thought i was deaf when i was little. i dont really remember much of my childhood so ill need to ask a few more questions.. but ive started gaining a few autism "symptoms". and flapping when im excited, been sensitive to loud noises, social issues, and a few others things i cant remember.. ive took a few online tests and they all said i had atleast some chance of having autism. should i get it checked out? i dont remember having any of these symptoms before.. and also im not exactly the most "autistic looking" person. i just dunno. any tips? 

  • Hello tkoMar

    I don't know what gender you are or how old but autism can present itself very differently in females than males and not become 'apparent' until life presents you with things that you struggle to cope with or your life coping strategies do not 'work' anymore. My daughter has just been diagnosed aged 17. Autism doesn't have 'a look' it manifests itself in behaviours and ways of thinking. Many people would be surprised that my daughter was autistic. They would think that she was shy, quiet and polite. She can talk to people that she feels comfortable with and does have friends. Autism is something that you are born with but may not become apparent for many years. My daughter 'failed' those online tests but when she was thoroughly assessed by professional clinicians who also took time to look at her developmental journey there was no doubt that she was. You should definitely get tested if it is interfering with your life and a diagnosis would help you make sense of things and enable you to seek appropriate help. All of these things you may have to pay for. The waiting list for NHS assessments is long. We were told anything from six months to two years and that was for a young person who had developed mental health problems (anxiety, OCD and self-harm) and 'medical' evidence pointing to the fact that she probably was autistic. There is someone on this forum who has had a three year wait. 

    Good luck with your decision

  • What's autistic looking?

    Autism presents in childhood, if your symptoms have come on in adulthood then you'll need psychiatric evaluation to exclude other diagnoses (like personality disorders). It could be that you've been masking since childhood and the ability to repress your autistic traits has decreased due to life stresses as well. The only way you'll know for sure is to be assessed by the psychiatry team.

    Your issues relating to hearing as a child could have been an auditory process disorder, you hear the sounds perfectly well but your brain doesn't process them quickly enough.