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Highly Suspecting I'm Autistic

Harmonie

Harmonie

Member
Hello! I'm 35, F, and am exploring the possibility I am autistic, so I decided that joining some forums might help!

I strongly suspect that I am high-functioning autistic from everything I've read, seen, and the quizzes I have taken. Of course, I am not licensed to make any such determination. I've had some people tell me that I can self-diagnose, but that doesn't feel right to me. I have opted not to determine my diagnosis at the moment due to the fact that I am moving cross-country and just can't afford that kind of expense right now. I did see the option on this forum for self-determined, but I selected "Unsure".

I was diagnosed with ADHD a very long time ago. I don't think it paints the whole picture, though. I have a lot of trouble with socializing (back when I was more myself in public, I was always considered "annoying" so I had to tone myself down, now to the point where I feel like interacting with others at all is a burden on them...), I have sensory issues such as light and noise sensitivity and I have really bad sensory issues with eating. I am touch-adverse. I have strict routines I like to keep to and get upset if I get out of them, I like being and working alone, etc.

I could go on and on.

I've gone my whole adult life without thinking any of these things are more than just quirks about me. I didn't even think of autism, as the only example I have had in my life until very recently was a low-functioning male child, of whom manifests very little like me. For me to find out that autism can manifest in these other forms, that it can be high-functioning, and that it also is a little different for women has all been quite a discovery for me. What I thought were "quirks" which have made it quite difficult for me to manage my life at times, could actually be symptoms of autism. I had no clue! It helps me to have this condition to explain why I am the way I am and have always had trouble fitting in.

Anyway, here I go rambling on and on. I'm very bad about that. I'll end this here before I ramble on too much further! lol
 
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Hello, welcome to the forum.l! My mom was diagnosed last year at 51 years old with ADHD. It is very common for girls to be diagnosed as an adult. It’s nice to meet you.
 
Hi Harmonie :).
Yes, your story is your own and yet not uncommon in the world of "late diagnosed autistic women". There is so much more information available than ten, twenty, thirty years ago, when I was a young autistic women. I am 51 and only got diagnosed last year, with not only Autism but ADHD, as well. Statistics being bandied around, currently, concerning the co-occurance of ADHD and ASD are being evaluated as 50% - 70% .
You certainly have many traits mentioned that would be consistent with a diagnosis of ASD.
I hope you find your answers.

I know that I have zero regrets finally going through the diagnostic process. I did the same sort of due diligence that you are currently going through for about 6 years, after figuring out that my own symptoms went deeper than the diagnosis of PTSD that I already had.
 
I think you tend to see what you are good at it, and it makes you feel very functional, and then what you are not good at feels like merely terrible luck, and that's why you're supposed go to someone else for diagnosis. I've seen the mental health system wildly abused and I don't go anywhere near it. What made it obvious to me, is that I have stunning communication problems, and I never noticed them until I had something urgent to tell, and I simply could not do it, not in the space of some fifteen years. I couldn't find any support or friendship whatsoever, and that, alongside a bunch of other traits, settles it for me.
 
Hello and welcome, @Harmonie.

I hope this place becomes meaningful for you. So many stories have been shared here and I think you will be able to learn so much from reading what others have posted and interacting with different folks who are on the spectrum.
 
Welcome.

I realized I was a high functioning autist at age 64. At this point, I see no reason to go to the trouble of a professional diagnosis. The penny dropped when I accidentally read a couple of articles about successful professional women who were high functioning autists.
 
WhitewaterWoman said:
Welcome.

I realized I was a high functioning autist at age 64. At this point, I see no reason to go to the trouble of a professional diagnosis. The penny dropped when I accidentally read a couple of articles about successful professional women who were high functioning autists.
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If you're looking for business people, look at Elon Musk. He very famously said he was thrown down the stairs at school for being autistic, and well, it's rather obvious. He's stuttery, he's halting, he's often lost in his own head, even when speaking publicly or being interviewed. The thing is; he's successful, people look past his traits, they respect him, and they even say he's good at marketing. He actually has really poor stage or speaking presence, but I don't mind it because he's likable. It is, however, disappointing to see just what it takes, materially, for people to see you-as-such, and not just merely the superficial. But come to think of it, success is rather superficial, too.
 
Welcome to the forum, with your ADHD diagnosis you are part of the spectrum already and although i'm very new around here as well, this community is the perfect place to explore your understanding further.
 
First of all, thank you for the welcomes, everyone! =) When I was reading up on autism I did read about women on average learning later in life, in some part because of masking more on average and/or because autism has been understood more from the male perspective and thus our autism is less understood. *sigh* A common story with medical matters, it seems.
Crossbreed said:
Which country?
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Oops, does "cross-country" mean to a different country? I just thought it meant moving within a country. I live in the USA and am moving from the South to the Northeast (the New England region in particular)
 
Welcome to Autism Forums. The exact place to be in exploring whether or not you may be on the spectrum of autism. With a chance to deal with autistic people directly, and perhaps to get a sense of whether or not you identify with us.
 
Boy those sensory issues can really frustrate me. And trying to explain l don't like tight bands of elastic. I actually will pull elastic waist bands out or cut them up. If l meet someone, and they have a irritating voice, they are immediately on my dislike list. I am sensitive to voices. I was super restless and my hands were jumpy, my legs were bobbing around, l was irritating myself this evening. Welcome to the forum!
 
Aspychata said:
Boy those sensory issues can really frustrate me. And trying to explain l don't like tight bands of elastic. I actually will pull elastic waist bands out or cut them up. If l meet someone, and they have a irritating voice, they are immediately on my dislike list. I am sensitive to voices. I was super restless and my hands were jumpy, my legs were bobbing around, l was irritating myself this eveing. Welcome to the forum!
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I'm like that with voices too! I can't help my visceral reaction to voices. The hype-y advertising voices drive me up the wall.

And I've gotten worse with clothing discomfort as I've gotten older and so few of my clothes are tolerable now. Only things with wide soft bands and flowy or wrap-around waists.
 
Neri said:
I'm like that with voices too! I can't help my visceral reaction to voices. The hype-y advertising voices drive me up the wall.

And I've gotten worse with clothing discomfort as I've gotten older and so few of my clothes are tolerable now. Only things with wide soft bands and flowy or wrap-around waists.
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I can't stand my own voice, which is unfortunate for someone who wants to improve at singing. Down low, it's a dull drone. Up high, it's really grating. Somewhere in the middle, it's good for speaking and singing, and I've been working at expanding the range of that region. I always spoke in the dull drone range, and after learning to sing, I've made it a habit to adopt that range in the middle, which I use for singing. If I weren't the dork that I am, I probably wouldn't have to be so intentional about absolutely everything, but I'm growing to like myself just fine.
 
Levitator said:
I can't stand my own voice, which is unfortunate for someone who wants to improve at singing. Down low, it's a dull drone. Up high, it's really grating. Somewhere in the middle, it's good for speaking and singing, and I've been working at expanding the range of that region. I always spoke in the dull drone range, and after learning to sing, I've made it a habit to adopt that range in the middle, which I use for singing. If I weren't the dork that I am, I probably wouldn't have to be so intentional about absolutely everything, but I'm growing to like myself just fine.
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I used to hate my recorded singing voice, but, I grew to like that. When I hear my speaking voice, however, I really struggle not to have a repulsion toward it. Recorded that is. It sounds different inside my head than recorded.
Mind you, I had to do many years of singing before I started to appreciate the sound of my singing voice.
 
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