I have inattentive ADHD - I know the inattentive bit is only part of the condition but still, I've started to suspect I may also have Asd
I have a child with ASD
My brother and Father have asd
I struggle to make friends - people find me odd.
When I do make friendships, they're often intense and short lived. I get very upset when it ends but after a few hours, I'm over it.
I've never been able to hold a job down due to ADHD, I find most jobs intensely boring and utterly exhausting. The work is easy it's just being around other people and the routine. Getting to work on time is extremely stressful.
I pick my skin excessively - less now but at one point it was two/ three hours a day to the exclusion of sleep
I drink too much, not dependent but if I've had a meeting or a busy day I need to drink to settle my mind - (recently moved on to herbal gummies which are proving to be all round fab)
I've always had trouble sleeping. I can't deal with routine so have to surprise my body by going to bed say at 3am one night and 9 pm the next. I'm often up at 3am. OH doesn't know if I'm coming to bed or up for the day - could be either.
On occasion, I can do a tremendous, super human amount in a day. Other times I can stare into space day after day.
I'm very empathetic and feel emotions very deeply. I can write about them but I'm very secretive. I cannot talk about emotions - I get a freeze response.
There have been times in my life when I was young and that I shut myself off from other people entirely. This lasted for four years, perhaps with a couple of short lived friendships. If I wasn't at work, I'd go days without talking to anyone. It made feel like a loser. That upset me more than being alone.
I don't like being touched
As a child, when a motorbike passed, I'd turn my back and scream.
I remember lots of spinning round in the playground.
At school I was called sociable and later in life people would have said the same. I can be with certain people. Mostly I go out of my way to avoid people.
I can be extremely perceptive to an odd degree but often can't see what's staring me in the face.
I can't talk about work that I haven't actually done - it's an abstract concept that I simply can't envisage so planning meetings etc are impossible. If I've actually done the work, I'm extremely eloquent.
Sorry that's v long but I'd appreciate any thoughts on whether this sounds like ASD. Can't face the GP - hard enough getting them to assess my kids and don't have the kind of money for a private diagnosis (because I can't hold down a job and I'm paying so much for kids treatment etc 😡. A steer from Mumsnet is the most I can hope for) thanks