How to know ASD for sure if no DX in childhood?

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Got ADHD DX @ 26.
Unofficial Psych DX with it " Yes ADHD, oh... and autistic traits to" ...


So how can I find out?

What can I do?

What questions of childhood, which autism
answers cant be many/any symptoms of other conditions?

Is there any definite way to know?

There are so many related, comorbid DXs.


Prefably ways/most I can do by self, online etc.

Psychs not too great where i'm at.

Medical tests/(any biological?) etc suggestions are still welcome though

Appreciated

With ADHD there would be a short attention span whereas with autism there tends to be a much longer attention span, usually with someone's 'special interests'. Asperger's also tends more towards being socially awkward due to issues with social queues and talking about things other than personal interests rather than with ADHD where there tends to be too much energy and enthusiasm for pretty much anything. ADHD also lacks the same love of routines that people with AS tend to have.

There are also other conditions that can be mistaken for AS, such as schizoid personality disorder. The main difference between AS and schizoid that in AS that "there is a strong preference for logical patterns in things and people, the inability to read facial expressions and the lack of innate knowledge that other people aren't rule based and have motivations that might be different than the person with AS. SPD is more about never-ending introspection, rationnalisation and hyperreflection about pretty much everything. They do have a strong tendency to be perpetually daydreaming if left idle and are likely to think about fantasy and fictious worlds much more than "normal" people would." to quote this site: http://cosmoquest.org/forum/showthread. ... y-Disorder as I am not really that educated about schizoid.

ASDs can be diagnosed in adulthood, but you need good evidence that the traits were present in childhood. (Then again, you need that for ADHD in adulthood too.)

My guess is it wasn't you being an adult that got you labeled 'autistic traits' instead of a full diagnosis. It was either how mild your traits are, or uncertainty about whether they can be explained by ADHD alone.

I was diagnosed in adulthood because my psychologist came to the conclusion that, had I been tested properly as a child, I would have been diagnosed then as well. She interviewed my father, not me, to determine what I was like as an infant, toddler, and child.