Am I autistic

Post Reply New Topic

I am 18 and I have recently discovered I may have many symptoms of autism and as of yet have not had a diagnosis. I am seeing someone at school and am getting a mind assessment.
Here are some symptoms I have:
Struggle with eye contact, remember having probklems when I was young, cleared up for a bit and returned recently. I feel uncomfortable keeping any sort of eye contact with most people.
I have powerful obsessions that I often don't stop talking about and can read facts once about and remember for no particular reason when I am hopeless at remembering stuff I'm not really interested in
Good memory for birthdays and dates, especially years films were made in, but almost failed psychology AS because I couldn't remember the dates
I am no good at improvisation, I need time to think. Sometimes I can be quick with a response but not often.
Can have extreme panic attacks over small things like not understanding a question or doing something I'm not expecting (going into different shops on the way to another shop where I have been told we're going has apparently been a problem since I was young). Tantrums over computer games or scanner not co-operating. Retreat into corner and get nothing done. Resort to self abuse, biting, scratching sometimes bang head.
Can go very hyper. In both hyoper and panic modes I can 'flap' my hands or rock cos it feels comforting. Almost took off when I realised my iPod had fallen out of my pocket.
Photosensitive to flashing or bright lights, dislike of loud noises (some sounds cause me pain or terror, some alarm clocks or smoke alarms, sometimes hear things others don't), dislike strong smells (hate people spraying aerosols etc. sometimes smell things others don't) and tastes. Not a fan of curry or other strong food and couldn't finish a very hot chilli con carne once. Picky about textures. Textures - picky about clothing, have a cot blanket that has been with me practically every night of my life and love feeling the unique texture of it, hate textures like bits in drinks, apple pie. HATE stuff on my hands, clay, soil etc. Like to be tasting something, food or drink. Chew on things, usually nails
Attach with random objects, usually something I have touched. Always collected twigs or stones. Has been toys, videos, natural stuff
Often awkward meeting new people. Find some people physically painfully irritating where I actually feel all tight.
Don't like strangers or people I don't know well touching me. Ok with my friends, but not always parents, they have to ask
Can't answer landlines - don't know who it is or what they want. Difficulty ringing people, especially call centres. Ok with mobile cos it shows who rings.
Can talk non-stop especially about obsessions and don't always notice when people have stopped listening. Can also refuse to talk, usually to strangers though sometimes I try but my mood decreases. Often speak inaudibly (apparently)
EXTREME perfectionist. Single mistake = redo everything.
Mother tells me to stop taking things so literally. Appear to make stupid comments. Often last to understand jokes, usually needs explaining. Have been known to miss sarcasm though not that often. No clue when it comes to irony.
Felt 'different' in behaviour from others for a while now.
Sometimes repeat people but I thought it was just so I could clarify what they said.
Sometimes come across insensitive when not necessarily meaning it, don't like confronting people or pointing out problems.
Sometimes struggle with change though can usually cope if I do the changing or if I am warned prior to it happening.
Average intelligence and IQ.
Friendship struggles between about 5 and 11 when I found some great friends who are flexible and can cope with me
Often walk into things, throwing not a strong point at all, have phases of being good at catching. Clumsy.
Do everything in patterns. Still smell my fingers after touching things like magazines or books that smell nice, even smelt the hoover when used (if I didn't run away from the noise) and also a telegraph pole once or twice.
Eat and dress similarly every day. If I eat at all, have suffered eating disorder, depression and anxiety.
Asbestos fingers, can touch hot things for much longer than many people. Feel cold really easily.
Sleep difficulties, trouble getting to sleep (mind buzzing) have woken up at 5 or 6am every morning for a week or 2 a few times.
Eyes wander during class, end up staring at posters even if seen them many times before. Easily distracted. Short attention span.
Need clear and precise instructions or I don't understand and get panicky and stressed.
Don't do anything that will get me lots of attention cos thought of it scares me.
often impatient, though try to ignore it sometimes cos get sick of people complaining and try to make them see it from others' POV (such as in cafes like where I have worked and hated people complaining)
Learn from watching and doing (best with help and guidance).
Collections of items from sticks, stones, crystals, films, Monty Python things, cinema tickets
Invisible wall often appears to me. Don't like responsibility - would hate to hold a big party.
I got 34/50 then 37/50 on Simon Baron Cohen's AQ test when most diagnosed autists get above 32 (did twice thinking it was a different test) I got 148/200 aspie vs 71/200 (apparently, though doesn't fit) NT on an aspie quiz, result being 'you are most likely an Aspie'

There's alot but these are my main symptoms and I was just wondering if anyone thinks they are something to point out to anyone to get me an assessment. I feel an assessment and a reason to my sometimes strange behaviour would be a relief.

Thank youu

Sounds like you have plenty of symptoms.

That's the one thing that annoys me about an Autism diagnosis: how hard and strenuously you have to work to convince a mental health professional that you have it, when many of the same docs will quickly diagnose you with depression, ADHD, or anxiety disorders after barely a few minutes of talking to you. The thought of getting somebody on a cocktail of medications and letting the problem work itself out is far more enticing than actually helping somebody work out their problems, and treating autism tends to falls in the latter category I've noticed. Trying to get an autism diagnosis can sometimes do much more harm than it can good, especially if the doc tends to be a pill pusher.

If you want to pursue an official diagnosis though, that's your call, as it certainly may bring you comfort.

Certainly seems like it, you have a fair number there. I am in a very similar boat - many symptoms, no official diagnosis cos I struggle to talk about it (feel hypochondriac) and nobody seems to help me, though seem to try to get me to steer away from self diagnosis, though too late for that

It looks like you have almost every symptom.

Indeed, it does look like you have pretty much every symptom. I'm rather surprised you weren't diagnosed before. Good luck.

yes you have alot of symptoms

It is the symptoms that count really, remember the word is just the definition of a lot of symptoms and the person diagnosing you decides if you fit into a lot (which you do) then he might put you under the label of autism. Technically a lot of people have some of these symptoms (I've had my friends take aspergers and autism tests, and they come out with a mild or medium result of autism/aspergers, though admittedly they make some of the questions kind of enticing to answer in a specific way) I didn't read your whole post, but I did see a lot of the symptoms.

It is true that certain people exhibit a lot of these symptoms such as yourself and me and the rest of us here. And for some reason these symptoms tend to come together in the same person, which is the only reason I see for people giving it a label, but I've always been interested in how unique all of us really are, from each other and "NT"s. Or if once an asperger is diagnosed they just become more open about the weird things, as opposed to a lot of people not even mentioning them.

For example the avoiding cracks in a side walk, if you go and post that in another non-autism forum you'll get a lot of "yeah I do that all the time "