Afraid to see a professional

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Hey everyone just found this site and was looking for help I guess. I only recently started questioning my behavior and that's because I think only now have people been telling me about it and I have become more aware of how I do things. I however refuse to go to a professional without getting some kind of confirmation. So I'll explain a bit about myself and you guys could tell me if I'm seeing with dust in my eyes. I'm going to list some things I think may indicate I'm autistic in some way. My mother told me I spoke very early but only repeated what I heard, I was late to walk. I recently found I hate looking people in the eye, I hate jeans and any type of bad material with a passion, if I choose clothes it's me walking around feeling everything. I developed tics you could say 4 years ago or I haven't noticed them earlier (I'm 16) that change but have always been around since then, it's usually facial expressions and vocal tics. I have recently not been able to talk because I have to guess when to jump in conversation, people keep telling me I talk too fast or I slur words even though I don't notice it. My mother very bitterly tells me I am careless and I don't care about what she thinks even though I REALLY REALLY try and it feels awful to be so frustratingly bad at something. The thing is these all seem to have come up from 4 years ago, I don't think I had thes problems as a child like tics and eye contact (the material thing yes I want to rip my skin off when I simply see jeans) and I am extremely capable in everything I do. I've travelled 3 continents for competitions and am top of my class. I consider myself a sociable person I just don't really like to talk to people that much. I only have 'aquaintances' but no one of my age seems to care about what I care, and if they do it's in a very childish way. Am I seeing things off, or is there weight to my concern? Other than what I listed I'm totally normal.

What you listed are core traits associated with autism(they occur with other conditions too). If these developed at age 12 that usually is not considered autism but as you mentioned maybe you had them but did not notice them. Autistic traits often become more pronounced and noticeable at puberty because of hormones and increased demands and social expectations. Demands and expectations will increase again when you go to college/university. The "tics' MIGHT be Tourette's a common co morbid of autism or just being so anxious in social situations

As far as seeking a professional the question to ask is are these traits impairing you? If you decide to see a professional the goal should not be to get an Autism diagnosis per se but to find out what is making life difficult for you. Do not be fearful of not getting an autism diagnosis. The search for truth often involves ruling out possibilities.

Welcome to Wrong Planet.

Seeing as we don't actually know you, we can't really give you a good indication of whether you could have ASD. It might be beneficial if you could approach somebody you personally know (who understands ASD) and ask for their opinion. I personally asked a good friend.

However, psychologists and psychiatrists etc. specialise in assessing people any diagnosing if appropriate. If you feel like you are having difficulties, you can approach a doctor or psychologist/psychiatrist and describe your problems; they would be able to either give you an assessment or refer you to the appropriate health professional. You don't need a second opinion in order to talk to a doctor about your concerns.
Good luck, and welcome to WP!

A lot of the traits you describe are a hallmark of ASD, but can also be sensory. The two conditions often co-exist. What you describe sounds very uncomfortable. I hope you can get some sort of answer for your difficulties.