Shy or autistic?

I thought it might be a good idea, for people who are looking for some advice, to explore the difference between being shy and being autistic.

There may be some individuals who suspect that they might be somewhere on the spectrum because they have difficulties with socialising and are not clear about the real differences between simply being timid and having autistic traits.

What are the key differences between someone who feels shy around groups of people and autistic people who have communication issues? How can you tell the difference?

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  • lostmyway said:

    What I was really trying to pin down, Aspergerix, was how does the experience of a person who is merely shy, qualitatively differ from someone who is on the AS in a social situation, such as a party, for example?

    There are probably people who struggle in social situations who assume they are just shy but may, in fact, be on the AS and I just thought it would be a good idea to provide some information as a guide to self-diagnosis.

    Problems with eye contact alone aren't enough to indicate deeper problems, it's true, so what else should someone look for that could point to something other than shyness? Yes, we all know the theory, but it would be nice to actually get some feedback from real autistics.

    Please correct me if I am wrong but I interpret your last statement as a snide remark insinuating that I am not a real autistic.

    I am a real autistic, I have an official diagnosis.

    Your headline says shy OR autistic which should be shy AND autistic, and, shy AND not autistic. Shyness is the same whether you are autistic or not.

    But this is turning into a debate about semantics and the meaning of words.

    Shyness is not a characteristic of the autistic diagnostic cluster so if someone is shy they should not be looking for signs of autism.

    If someone is having life problems related to autism then it would be obvious they need medical help because their day to day functioning would be severely impaired .

    Shy people with autism are all unique so anyone thinking they are autistic for whatever reason need to see their GP

Reply
  • lostmyway said:

    What I was really trying to pin down, Aspergerix, was how does the experience of a person who is merely shy, qualitatively differ from someone who is on the AS in a social situation, such as a party, for example?

    There are probably people who struggle in social situations who assume they are just shy but may, in fact, be on the AS and I just thought it would be a good idea to provide some information as a guide to self-diagnosis.

    Problems with eye contact alone aren't enough to indicate deeper problems, it's true, so what else should someone look for that could point to something other than shyness? Yes, we all know the theory, but it would be nice to actually get some feedback from real autistics.

    Please correct me if I am wrong but I interpret your last statement as a snide remark insinuating that I am not a real autistic.

    I am a real autistic, I have an official diagnosis.

    Your headline says shy OR autistic which should be shy AND autistic, and, shy AND not autistic. Shyness is the same whether you are autistic or not.

    But this is turning into a debate about semantics and the meaning of words.

    Shyness is not a characteristic of the autistic diagnostic cluster so if someone is shy they should not be looking for signs of autism.

    If someone is having life problems related to autism then it would be obvious they need medical help because their day to day functioning would be severely impaired .

    Shy people with autism are all unique so anyone thinking they are autistic for whatever reason need to see their GP

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