Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello! My names Sarah and I have a question for you all. Could someone be autistic and not recognise it? My son (he's in his late 20's) definitely shows traits. He fixates on things and is meticulous about facts, he will look up words you use and quote you the dictionary definition in the middle of a conversation especially when trying to prove a point. He has a massive capacity for learning and absorbing information, he can quote back to you a conversation word for word. He doesn't recognise social prompts or body language, even when told clearly to go away and stop talking he will ignore it and continue to 'quote' fact at you. I have mentioned to him that I think he needs to go to the GP as I feel he may be on the spectrum, three days later he came back to me with so much information as to why he definitely isn't on the spectrum but has ignored everything I have pointed out about why I feel he is!!
There are problems at work with his work mates who continuously run out of patience with him and make snide comments about him. I don't know how to move forward from here as he is adamant there is nothing wrong! Advise please :) Thank you in advance and sorry for waffling!!
I have heard that some people do prefer not to get a diagnosis, but they may still find understanding autism to be useful. There are some books that compares autistic and neurotypical thinking, do you think he would be willing to read these books?
I'm not sure, he loves research so it's worth a try, can you recommend anything?
I haven't had a formal diagnosis, I don't feel like I need validation from a doctor. I've never had good experiences with the medical profession. I think it would be traumatic to go through an assessment but then I avoid doctors at all costs. I'm content with knowing I'm autistic based on my own research.