Am I autistic?

[Pippatips]

Argh. Not sure where to start, but this has been on my mind for a while.

I've read about the traits linked with autism, and feel like I might have some of them.

I'm too scared to go for a diagnosis though, and have heard that the diagnosis process can take ages.

'we are all on the spectrum'.

Urgh this pisses me off when people say this.

Also pisses me off when people describe anyone who might possibly have a couple of autistic traits as being 'spectrummy'. Someone I know said that about a mutual friend - I didn't say anything at the time, but was annoyed on mutual friend's behalf.

Brilliant post blanklook

Marmos, I'm autistic. Everybody who knows me knows I'm autistic. I work in a medical/academic field. I have never experienced what you have described.

I've never pursued a diagnosis because I don't think I can say it significantly impacts my life. I'm lucky in that I've come to accept who I am and my limitations. My 'autism' may also be learned behaviour as I'm pretty certain my mum and sister are actually autistic (although not diagnosed).

This is despite usually scoring over 40 on the AQ test, which I've taken multiple times and now even compare how my different moods impact my results (which obsession may in itself be a fairly strong sign ).

If you feel you want to know, see if you can get a diagnosis but with a low score on the AQ test you're almost certainly not autistic. You should explore why you're feeling so low though. You don't need to have a diagnosis to start to work through what's going on in your head.

Oh and your sister's horrible!

@Gilead - you are lucky. And I'm really glad to hear it.

Oh and a diagnosis doesn't mean you suddenly 'change'. Unless you're really struggling I think there's limited benefit and in fact unless your seriously struggling one you won't get one! I never quite understood that - just because some people are better at developing coping mechanisms doesn't mean that they aren't autistic, it just means that they're better at developing coping mechanisms!

Thanks so much everyone

it's a diagnosis,not a label.

those against 'labelling', would you suggest the same if the OP wondered if she might have e.g. diabetes?

I know a few people who were diagnosed as an adult. For those who wonder what the benefit might be - all those I know say it has been life changing for them as it really helped to understand themselves. Things suddenly fell in place and made sense. a formal diagnosis is not a waste of time and effort.

We have two adopted children with ASD. I would say that if you want to clarify whither or not you have ASD then you should speak to your G.P. about it. I certainly wouldn't discuss it with a councillor and take their word for it as they are unlikely to have any expertise in ASD and it's diagnosis. Especially with women as can be evidenced by the comment of the previous councillor.
I would look at how this might impact on your life in a positive and negative way and then weight it up as to wither it is worth looking at for your own piece of mind.

I was diagnosed privately last year. Took about 7 weeks but I’m aware that’s very quick.

Cost about £500. My employer paid.

I feel MUCH freer since getting the diagnosis.

There’s some very good resources out there about female autism, the pic attached is from Aspiengirl.

Thank you for those links blanklook.

We're in early discussions with school about DS, who's 10, and the first one especially was really interesting.

You thiink you may have some traits and score low on the AQ test..I'd say it's unlikely you would get diagnosed and should look at other possibilities for the way you feel rather than autism.

I was diagnosed (with aspergers) this year. The AQ test is what the professionals is alongside talking to you and going over everything. That was a time when they were looking at attachment disorder as there are similarities. The thing that made it more aspergers was sensory issues.

I was diagnosed three years ago as HFA after being encouraged by family members to be so.

It has been mostly positive in that it has allowed me to understand many of my particular quirks problems with certain foods textures.

However, as written by Girrafe you can 'play' up to you new identity if not helped not to by family members . It is also important you don't blame everything that is wrong on being 'AUTISTIC'

Once being diagnosed it is important family members keep telling you how you are the same person it just answers the questions you have always wondered about.!

The other benefit i was able to understand DSs 11 problems and thus a HFA diagnosis for him came last year.

P.S The world really needs people to think outside of conventional theories to survive at the moment !

I've posted this before and I'm going to re-post it again because I think it's important.

I just want to make a few points which might be worth considering for those of you who think you might be autistic and are wonderimg whether to pursue assessment:

• there's emerging evidence that autistic women experience menopause differently

• autistic people can react in unusual ways to medications and treatments, as we age this might become more relevant

• think about care needs as you age, particularly post retirement, whilst you might be doing fine now think about how an autism diagnosis might help with getting the best care and support. More so if you are heavily reliant on partners/family/friends for support.

• there's not enough research about autism and dementia yet, and IIRC autism may be a protective factor against dementia, but think about how if you were being assessed your autism might mask or exacerbate other symptoms and signs.

• with a diagnosis you have a legal right to reasonable adjustments, again, think about how this might be helpful later on, even if you don't need them now.

For me, diagnosis has been a remarkable thing, freeing and liberating and empowering. I find life much easier being autistic with a diagnosis than without.

I was diagnosed two weeks ago at the age of 40. There are Facebook groups that a friend recommended I join - so I have - and they include a mixture of self-diagnosed and formally diagnosed people.

Don’t forget that autism presents differently in women and a lot of the tests and lists of signs are based on men.

Having said that I did score highly on tests as a woman and have just been diagnosed through the NHS so they can be relied on to an extent.

There are support services where I live. I’m still the same person I always have been but I’m hoping the diagnosis will help me be kinder to myself for not being able to do sone things I think I should and to make sure I allow myself the time and space to rest to avoid burning out as often as I do.

flisspaps that's interesting that CFS is on that list. I have that as well and have never seen them linked.

A lot of people have traits of autism without being autistic. TBH I don't think it really matters unless you find that these traits are making your life more difficult and you hope that through diagnosis/therapy you may be able to improve your quality of life.

Thanks for the pic Fliss. I think I fit some of those things mentioned there.

As the criteria on the link is so broad, it's hard to know how much I fit each thing, really. I've got such low self-esteem and self-confidence that part of me thinks I just fit all of the criteria. I just don't know what to do. Feel really down about it all.

Going off on a bit of a tangent, but I just feel like I'll never get married, have a successful job I like or have kids. Feel so frustrated with myself - a bit like I'm my own worst enemy. I just feel like I can't really function and like I'm not coping. I would never mention any of this to anyone IRL, but equally don't quite feel like this forum is a safe space for me either, because I feel like I'll be judged for what I've just written down. I find it really hard to cope with judgement and criticism.

I never trust my own judgement, and always beat myself up about everything I do. So when other people criticise me (or when it seems like they are), it feels like I'm criticised twice over. It's bloody exhausting.

Might be worth a chat with your GP and some counselling? Sounds like you could be depressed. I had loads of therapy and the anxiety and social struggles never went away - hence asking for the ASC referral.

'We are all on the Spectrum' rubbish is very damaging to Autistic whether those with HFA or Classic forms. This is because it trivialises the effects of living with Autism on an everyday basis.

I was diagnosed with autism by my NHS CMHT service about 5 years ago. I scored pretty highly on the AQ test - 42. My referral was quick because a psychiatrist in my CMHT is a specialist in the field, and I've been involved with my CMHT due to depression and anxiety for years so they already had access to my records. It was already clear that I had severe difficulties with coping mechanisms (hence the depression and anxiety) and it was my regular psych who suggested putting me forward.

I wouldn't say the diagnosis was really life-changing for me, as I've already had a lot of support in place for mental health problems anyway (disability adjustments, benefits, housing and therapies). I think it's put a different perspective on my on-going treatment, as some of my behaviours are now seen through the prism of autism rather than personality traits. But there is still a lack of education amongst professionals about how autism presents in adults, particularly women, so it's still only really of limited help. On the other hand, since I already have mental health issues, the label of autism hasn't affected me in terms of institutional labels. I already have difficulties getting things like life insurance and passing employment screening, so having one more label of autism hasn't made any difference.

I think it's important to get a diagnosis though if you want to identify as autistic - self-diagnosis wouldn't have made sense to me as it's subjective and not based on a professional opinion. The diagnosis process is really rigorous but it's such a complex condition, it needs to be and it's important for it to be respected. I would go via a GP rather than a counsellor - I've had lots of different therapists over the years and many of them had no training at all with autism, and they don't have the ability to make a referral anyway.

Horrible for your sister to be so insensitive.

I’m autistic. I was only diagnosed recently aged 34. For me, I only realised thanks to a MN thread like this and reading this list by Tania Marshall good starting point. I urge you to read Polter’s post. She is very knowledgeable

It has been life-changing for me. I spent my life knowing I was different. I was miserable, full of self-loathing. I knew I had less energy and social skills than most but didn’t know why. A diagnosis has helped me to understand why I am like I am, I am calmer down. I’m kinder to myself. I restrict how much I plan now because I recognise I have less energy than most and that’s okay. It’s also recognised at work and I just additional support because of it. I’m glad I got diagnosed. I did wait over a year from referral to assessment on the NHS. The assessment took about three hours. I have no regrets about getting assessed.

There’s also a move away from using the term ‘high functioning’ - some people that are thought of as ‘high functioning’ in some areas are affected to debilitating levels in others.

Some people who might be deemed ‘low functioning’ (hate that phrase) find some things far easier or have much better coping strategies than someone ‘high functioning’