What made you realise you have/might have autism?

I had a slight hint about a decade ago because I was really having difficulty dealing with people.

But I shrugged it off, feeling a little better, and I didn't think about it again.

Then, about 5 years ago, I was beginning to feel very burnt out and irritable and was looking to change career, or just looking for something to change.

A colleague had been observing me for about a year and they said.

"I've been watching you all this time and I've noticed you don't read body language at all well. You don't notice when people are tired, bored, or upset. You interrupt and talk over people. You get moody about the smallest things. You're definitely autistic, maybe you should look into it"

My response was to chuckle, yeah maybe.

A while later, I finally realised/accepted that something was going on, so I went to my GP and 'demanded' a referral.

I suppose one sign was that I took a carrier bag of printouts, surveys, anecdotes to the surgery. They fortunately had no reservations about referring me.

As a child, I always had the loner/outsider thing. I often felt I was living in a movie and that people were merely interesting entities to observe and try to understand. There was a distinct sense of separateness.

Somehow, it all seemed to go unnoticed for nearly 5 decades...

very much like my life's story, I noticed, that I do not fit anywhere for the first time during 3rd year of primary, so at age of 10. The feeling of longing for someone like me accompanied me ever since, until discovery of this forum.

I interject alot of my humor, so as to cloud people's perception of all those things I do because I do not notice when to stop, plus it makes life a bit more endurable.

''Enjoy the little things'' rule number 47 in Zombie Survival guide :P

Yes, I always wanted to connect with people but I never felt comfortable, even with a group of friends.

Somehow I'd always feel disconnected, so I eventually got used to being an anomaly.

I was fortunate enough to fall into a career, that I never wanted but was pretty good at, which allowed  me to craft an environment of my own making...  but not knowing why, apart from the fact that I didn't want an actual job.

I work around/for people on a one to one basis, but dealing with people wa/is one of my biggest difficulties. It was also the only way I would really interact with anyone. I always thought it odd that I chose to do something that causes me so much stress

At least now I have an idea of the internal mechanisms at play.

I'm not sure about my sense of humour, people can't seem to tell when I'm joking...

Probably a bit weird, and I'm not stalking, but I noticed you're in Btn. I've been there since the early 90s. 

Small world.

Yes, some people are just too thick to realise it's a joke, why bother eh.

nowadays I would do it anyway, It stopped bothering me, there loss I say, it's them being thick

Yes I'm quite deadpan too. I think I've said before on here, that sometimes I can make a statement about something and people laugh. When to me I was just making an observation! 

Oh that's so annoying when people think you're being thick isn't it. And then you try and say you're joking but they think you're trying to make excuses.

It's nice when someone gets it though isn't it. I usually say things in a deadpan way and most people don't get it but some are laughing.

There have been times when I've said something which I thought was a joke and it fell flat. I know it was my delivery and not them. There have been times when I thought I was being sarcastic and I thought my tone implied this, but people thought I was being thick.  There have been times when I've tried to explain something funny that happened and it fell flat or the point of humour was lost. Probably because I got jumbled up. Or it wasn't actually funny to them.

I love hilarious

There is a polish poem for kids by Julian Tuwim about Mr Hilary (apparently from hilarious :P), who is looking for his glasses, flipping whole flat upside down in a process, until he stops in front of a mirror and notice he had them on his nose all along.

that's hilarious :P

I found a website with his poems, while chrome had a setting to translate all non english websites to english automatically, I forgot to disable it looking for something in spanish, so it looks like chrome does translate them pretty well, if someone wants a look here is a link:

wierszykidladzieci.pl/wierszetuwima.php

I don't tell jokes because I'm rubbish at it.

I do try to be funny at times, but because I might say things without changing my voice people sometimes get confused, upset, or offended.

My partner says it's not always what I say, it's how I say it.

Other times, people say I'm hilarious.

Know what you mean about , not being able to tell when you're joking.

I've always found this. Even if a I smile a phrased in exactly the same way I've seen others joke.

People never know when I'm joking.

Gave up trying to joke in the finish.its easier.lol

Yes. People can't tell when I'm joking either. They respond seriously or think I'm just weird. I have to explain the joke, which is never good.

Yes. People can't tell when I'm joking either. They respond seriously or think I'm just weird. I have to explain the joke, which is never good.

Yes, some people are just too thick to realise it's a joke, why bother eh.

nowadays I would do it anyway, It stopped bothering me, there loss I say, it's them being thick

Yes I'm quite deadpan too. I think I've said before on here, that sometimes I can make a statement about something and people laugh. When to me I was just making an observation! 

Oh that's so annoying when people think you're being thick isn't it. And then you try and say you're joking but they think you're trying to make excuses.

It's nice when someone gets it though isn't it. I usually say things in a deadpan way and most people don't get it but some are laughing.

There have been times when I've said something which I thought was a joke and it fell flat. I know it was my delivery and not them. There have been times when I thought I was being sarcastic and I thought my tone implied this, but people thought I was being thick.  There have been times when I've tried to explain something funny that happened and it fell flat or the point of humour was lost. Probably because I got jumbled up. Or it wasn't actually funny to them.