"i think I'm autistic" "I know"

Post Reply New Topic

Me: I think I'm probably autistic
Them: yes, I've known you were for a long time

I've had this experience twice since coming to the realization myself.

My own mother also told me, as a teenager, that she suspected I'm autistic. And then my boss told me a couple years back that I'm probably autistic and asked if I've ever been evaluated.

I rejected the idea until more recently.

Anyone else?

An ex of mine was the first to ask me if I had some kind of autism. That was about fifteen years before my dx. After I got diagnosed, I mentioned it to several people. None of them were surprised. More than a few people I've disclosed to said they knew it or that they could tell, that they figured as much. That happens most often though with people who have (or have had) an autistic friend or relative or something like that. People can usually tell there's something different about me, but unless they are aware of autism to some degree, they don't always know exactly what. But yeah, it absolutely has happened to me.

People in my family and a couple of acquaintances said that they thought I was autistic. My brother was the first person who said anything.

I've never gotten the usual, "You don't look autistic" line that others often get.

People around me are too ignorant, too awkward or too outdated to the term to say it to me.
Let alone previous decades.

Because at large, their idea of autism is still this "dependent-nonverbal-intellectually-disabled-and-constantly-melting-down-and-stimming-kid", not an independent and eccentric but apparently cis-woman.

Or an angry child who doesn't have academic issues herself, only towards other kids.

Just like being asexual meant 'you haven't found someone yet'.

Gained Number Post Count (1).
Lose Time (n).

Lose more time here - Updates at least once a week.

Autism is only viewed by stereotypes. And I'm not going to lie, stims like hand-flapping is common among autistic people, as well as covering one's ears at loud noises, and not making eye contact and not being social. I think if you show at least one or two of these behaviours quite frequently then it's easy to guess autism, whether the person displaying those behaviours is actually autistic or not.

If you're like me and show none of those behaviours ever, not even without masking, and even if you are quirky or shy or whatever, then autism has less chance of being suspected, sometimes even by other autistic people.

I had autistic friends tell me that I gave off major autistic vibes or that they were surprised to learn I wasn't diagnosed when I began this whole journey that lead to my realization that I'm in fact autistic lol.

I had a coworker point out that she figured I was autistic just like the kids her husband works with. Turns out I lost that bet.

I had a boss tell me he thought I was a little bit autistic. This was in the late 90s and I hardly knew anything about autism. I figured he was trying to bully me. I was confused because it seemed like a strange way to try and get an advantage over me.

literally nobody was surprised or is surprised when i tell them i'm autistic

I was working in the nursery at church today and mentioned to the other person that I'm probably autistic. She literally says "I thought you were and that you already knew that"

lol

I guess I and my mom are the only ones who are surprised

People that I drop my mask for even a little and don't freak out say "Yeah we know," people that do freak out don't hang around long enough, but a lot of people have no idea what being autistic means and say "You don't look autistic" to me.