Which of these ASD subtypes are you?

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I've realized recently that I'm an extremely analytical person who loves finding patterns out of huge amounts of information. As someone who has met and gotten to know tons of people with ASD in person, I've noticed that there are distinct subtypes in the way they present themselves to others. The people with ASD that I've known/met tend to fit well into one of these six categories, with only one or two I know qualifying for multiple categories. Maybe with a bigger sample size, there would be even more subtypes, but these are the ones I tend to see repeatedly.

This is also coming from someone who is fascinated with human social behaviour: particularly the differences between people with ASD and NTs, and has learned to be adept at reading others. Another reason I have created this is that NTs and the media tend to stereotype what ASD actually looks like, and perhaps looking at subtypes could help NTs better see the range of ways that ASD can present. I've noticed that people of all neurotypes tend to like things in order/categories and until NT is fully accepting of differences, we have to start somewhere in conveying that there are subtleties in the way people with ASD come across.

I don't think any of these types are necessarily superior or inferior than the other - they do have a huge range of variation/functioning levels within the types. All seem to have common strengths/weaknesses/however you look at them.

So, here are the subtypes I've created: what I'm wondering is which type the users here tend to lean towards.

**Edit - these are a little biased and not all of the possible types as I have mostly met people with HFA/Aspergers and not many with classic autism. There are probably other types out there that reflect other presentations of the spectrum - if you don't fit into any of these types, feel free to list how you present below**

Type #1
Gender - equally males and females
More obviously ASD than the other types (in my opinion)/NTs are more likely to notice something different/"off" than the other types
Present as very serious. Don't do small talk and avoid social niceties.
Extremely logical, love to debate and explore topics - interests are always theoretical/academic in nature
Often say things that could be misconstrued as rude and inconsiderate
Awkward body language, avoid eye contact/give intense eye contact, give mixed messages with this.
Serious sounding, stilted/monotone tone of voice
Have unusual affect, may smile/laugh at unexpected times
When emotion displayed, huge expressions incongruent with situation (i.e. laugh really loudly)
Are very rigid in their daily activities, preferences etc.
Usually have obvious sensory issues/central coherence issues
Usually have repetitive movements/stims, more likely to do so than the other types
Usually gifted or have above average intelligence
Often have "splinter skills" that they are exceptionally good at
Harder for this group to change/adapt their behaviours than the other types
If social skills are more developed - very rigid about controlling others' behaviours and can be misinterpreted as bossy

Type #2
Gender - Almost always male, though have met one female in this category
NTs are likely to notice differences upon meeting them.
More likely to display interest in others than the other types (though this is awkward), can be outgoing
Often very awkward body language, may give mixed messages with this, wavering or piercing eye contact
Always has an unusual tone of voice, may be serious sounding or nasal or have an odd quality to it
More likely to come across as egocentric than the other types, more likely to like calling attention to themselves
Least obvious interests than the other types, can talk about a variety of subjects, can learn to chit-chat
Has fixations on very specific scenarios/situations (may bring up an event over and over or talk about a socially related topic repeatedly such as dating repeatedly) which are often brought up in social situations
May attempt to gain or successfully gain NT friends but miss social subtleties

Type #3
Gender - Mostly female, though I've seen males who fit this
Very "script based", like repeating lines from media/tv shows/videos etc.
Bring up their interests repeatedly, the main reason they are rejected/made fun of by others
Main interests are arts/drama/music/tv/series related
More emotional than the other types and more likely to discuss social situations
More likely to be self-concious, prone to depression
Appropriate/attentive body language, either good or wavering eye contact
Often has an unusual tone of voice
Has some rigidity issues, though not as obviously as type #1
Often outgoing and enjoys meeting new people, but interacts with them using interests
Much more likely to be open about AS than the other types
More likely to change their behaviours than the other types

Type #4
Gender - equally males and females
Extremely passive and quiet in social situations, don't like to chat or do small talk
Don't engage with or initiate conversation with others, unless questions are asked (and in which case they give a short, to the point answer and don't continue the conversation unless it's about an interest)
Lack of emotional expression, tend to present as neutral/"blank"
Don't have unusual body language (though can appear distracted at times)/can make eye contact
Tone of voice less unusual than other types, though may have unclear speech
Has interests, but you have to ask about them in order for them to talk about them.
If asked about interests, able to have an NT-like back and forth conversation about them
Least likely to be open about AS than other types, often ashamed of it

Type #5
Gender - predominantly female, though males can fit this
Often are also diagnosed with ADHD
Talk non-stop to the point where they can annoy people
Extremely outgoing/extroverted, tend to "cling" to people and follow them around
Display appropriate body language/make eye contact but have huge difficulty "reading" others
Interests are much less obvious than the other types, like to chat and socialize
More likely to be rejected by others (even groups of Aspies!) due to not leaving others alone
Blame others for their problems instead of working on them
Usually have anxiety/rigidity issues

Type #6

This is a very small minority of people who have been given an ASD diagnosis but for some reason do not display symptoms that would earmark them as someone with ASD. They appear to have traits of it rather than the whole picture (Broader Autism Phenotype). This is the category that I fall into (though as a kid, I was more of a type #3)

Last edited by anneurysm on 28 Apr 2014, 3:56 pm, edited 7 times in total.

Mostly #1 with some 4 & 5 thrown in

The autistic people I know don't fit into these subtypes. Type 4 is closest to reality. The others seem like stereotypes.

None of those fit me as a child or as an adult.

I am type 6 (with sensory issues and some other weird things, but within norms i suppose..), but the poll doesnt give that option.
But these types mix more than it may appear

Last edited by cannotthinkoff on 28 Apr 2014, 3:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Type #2 and a bit of Type #1

I have sensory issues. They may be mild, but I wouldn't say minimal. I do stim, although the ways I stim may be different from the majority.

Am trying to edit the poll to give more options but it's not letting me, unfortunately.

None of them fit me but if I had to lean, I'd lean towards 4.

None of these fit me. Why is there no mention of severe sensory issues or stimming in any of them. Also your descriptions make it sound like none of these groups are likely to stim, and that is not at all in line with my experience of autism ad autistic people I know.

i'm closest to type 4, except i'm above-average intelligence.

Come to think of it, I have seen some stimming/more obvious sensory issues in most (not all) of these groups, so I edited the part about the stims/sensory issues. Primarily, I have seen these in Type #1, but I think the issue is that I've just realized that this is biased. This is because I have met tons of people with an Asperger diagnosis but not that many with an Autism diagnosis, and so these subtypes are more Asperger-centric.

The other reason I've posted this here was to get feedback on whether these are accurate and whether the ASD community can relate to them. I'm starting to think there may be more subtypes than these ones: ones that are more towards the autism side of things.

If anyone can propose any other types, please let me know as these types are always up for revision based on feedback.

i don't think any of these fit me accurately--it's more like i have 2-3 traits from each type, so i couldn't choose in the poll.

sorry if it seems like a buzzkill but they arent descriptive of the autism spectrum;if they were they woudnt only focus on 'high functioning' spectrum presentations, those of us with LFA present very differently to aspies as our intelectual impairment also flavours our autism, in the same way these HFA variations differ depending on IQ but to a deeper level.

none of them represent mine and am both LF ,severely autistic,with ID.

<raises hand> Type 2 female here. But I got above average intelligence.

Change the intelligence thing. At the moment it is now you suggest that only type 1 can be gifted and all others got no more than average intelligence (below average = less then average).

Last edited by Kiriae on 28 Apr 2014, 3:59 pm, edited 2 times in total.

None of those options types are close.

I think I might change this as well. I noted initially through the word "usually" that this is the main pattern that I've noticed though there are exceptions. The others (with the exception of type 1) may have a wider range I think as I do know some highly intelligent type 2s.