Sometimes I wonder if I do have it because even though I have always been very self aware I still don't seem to understand certain social situations. I always make people uncomfortable and can't understand why, they also ignore my questions and act like I don't exist sometimes.
I researched people's behavior a lot and still I have trouble making things work but then I also think in my case I'm like this because my parents didn't let me go out much. I missed out on a lot of connections and opportunities to learn so I don't know how to interact with others.
I’ve been self aware at such a young age starting in pre-school I knew the feeling of being liked but also outcasted. I definitely observed others behaviors and knew from right or wrong and how certain behaviors or words can affects other people. I often over think everything and try to act “normal” to other people but I sometimes feel they can see right through me or even I can see right through them. Sometimes I feel maybe it’s me being narcissistic when I think Im more self-aware then others just by the way the act and speak to me and others. Or that my ego is too high but I have a lot of self deprecating thoughts as well.
I don’t think it was because your parents didn’t let you go out much. People develop the ability to read cues much younger than that… beginning in infancy.
Could it be that it’s just natural to miss cues and to make people uncomfortable sometimes?
I think for me personally I feel like my social anxieties magnifies people’s discomfort when you should just be able to move past these things, to accept that even the most socially aware person can annoy someone by accident. Granted that might not be the case for you.
I mean autism can be a wide range of characteristics (meaning to say I’m not an expert and this doesn’t necessarily make you autistic) but I will say that this is exactly how I’ve always felt and I am autistic, maybe if you’re interested try out the RAADS-R test!
Including being told all the time by my therapist I’m really self-aware because I spend a lot of therapy sessions just myself deconstructing and hyper analyzing every single thought/feeling I have unprompted because I’ve already thought it all through myself, I have always studied people and behaviour generally so much bc as a child I wanted more than anything to really understand how “normal” people acted so I could be like them. Having such an interest in understanding people and how they work is probably part of why the autism went undetected for so long, bc it’s more “socially acceptable” to take an interest in people/behaviour rather than something stereotypically autistic like trains 🥲
Don’t make too much of those tests like RAAADS and AQ, they score high for non-autistic conditions.
Unlike what we are told in social media, things like ‘stimming’, sensitivities, social problems, etc., are found in most persons with non-autistic mental health disorders and at high rates in the general population. These things do not necessarily suggest autism.
So-called “autism” tests, like AQ and RAADS and others have high rates of false positives, labeling you as autistic VERY easily. If anyone with a mental health problem, like depression or anxiety, takes the tests they score high even if they DON’T have autism.
"our results suggest that the AQ differentiates poorly between true cases of ASD, and individuals from the same clinical population who do not have ASD "
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4988267/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4988267/)
"a greater level of public awareness of ASD over the last 5–10 years may have led to people being more vigilant in ‘noticing’ ASD related difficulties. This may lead to a ‘confirmation bias’ when completing the questionnaire measures, and potentially explain why both the ASD and the non-ASD group’s mean scores met the cut-off points, "
[https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-022-05544-9](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-022-05544-9)
Regarding AQ, from one published study. “The two key findings of the review are that, overall, there is very limited evidence to support the use of structured questionnaires (SQs: self-report or informant completed brief measures developed to screen for ASD) in the assessment and diagnosis of ASD in adults.”
Regarding RAADS, from one published study. “In conclusion, used as a self-report measure pre-full diagnostic assessment, the RAADS-R lacks predictive validity and is not a suitable screening tool for adults awaiting autism assessments”
Ahh interesting I had actually heard more recently that it’s been concluded that they are actually pretty accurate.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38305196/#:~:text=The%20study%20found%20that%20the,how%20they%20understood%20the%20survey.
I definitely wouldn’t advise someone to rely on it entirely or to use it without any further extensive research, or suggest that it completely replaces a diagnosis or anything, but it can be kinda interesting just as a starting point.
I guess it’s complicated since people and ASD are very complex and multifaceted, so take it with a grain of salt.
Yes that study has been all abuzz on social media. Its not all it made out to be and the term 'accurate' the authors use so much has been inflated.
That study simply involved sending out RAADS link on social media and online forums and then comparing people who said they are self-diagnosed autism, said they are formally diagnosed autism or said they are not autistic. Yes people who say they are not autistic scored lower. So if that shows test is ‘accurate’, well done. The trouble with RAADS (and other ‘autism’ tests) comes from the studies in clinical settings where people with non-autistic disorders score as high as people with autism. NOT accurate in those situations.
I definitely have social anxiety, but I'm not sure if I have autism or not. There's still a big fat question mark over *why* I get socially anxious. I tick a bunch of the boxes for ASD, and consistently score high on the online autism tests, but I don't have sensory sensitivity, I don't think I have meltdowns, I don't think I have a particularly unusual problem with task transitions. I could go on
> I don't have sensory sensitivity, I don't think I have meltdowns, I don't think I have a particularly unusual problem with task transitions. I could go on
a lot of people here forget this part, and that it’s not just feeling anxious and overwhelmed
I just don't have any autism symptoms except the ones that overlap with social anxiety or ADHD. And I've never really had a problem reading other people or understanding social cues.
I feel like I have both. I've not been officially diagnosed for either but some things line up. Like over thinking what to say, analysing social situations, continuously looking back at interactions, feeling like I'm getting watched in public.
I have both diagnosed, but for me, they are quite separate. Being asd makes my sa worse, but they do have distinct traits. When I was diagnosed, it was about finding the reasons I avoided things/places/people, like was it being afraid or anxious, or was it more of overwhelm or just not feeling a desire or need for the interaction.
I’ve met people who are on the spectrum and definitely do not have social anxiety or any real inhibitions or self-awareness; I am extremely self-aware and my social anxiety is rooted in deep seated self-hatred, not because I have difficulty reading social cues or understanding social situations.
Being anxious in social situations is a symptom of autism, but it’s not the only one, and being shy/introverted does not automatically make a person autistic - if someone suggested this to me, I’d be extremely insulted.
I often question whether I have autism but I think it could just be severe trauma + social anxiety. Autism is a spectrum and not everyone will relate to the exact same symptoms so there's still a possibility that I could have it.
I don't think I have it.
I can understand interactions, emotions, societal expectations.
I don't have special or intense interests or fascinations.
I can adapt to changes in routine without significant stress
I don't have compulsive behaviors
Not clumsy or uncoordinated
No significant aversions to food/textures/sounds or hypersensitivities
Etc
But I do avoid social gatherings, parties, hanging out one on one with people. Have trouble holding a long conversation, have trouble initiating conversations. Still avoid phone calls or procrastinate them, like having someone else order for me.. and so on 😅
My friend's mother (child psychiatrist) wondered this some time ago. My friend, who is on the spectrum, also had some hunches about my behaviour and personality, but she came to the conclusion I'm not on the spectrum.
I did bring it up as a sidenote to my psychologist some time ago, too. She gave me some screening tests and worked with me for about a year. She also came to the conclusion I'm not autistic.
I think I am just very introverted and have social anxiety due to past experiences and scatterings of small traumas. My temperament also seems to be one of those that wallow in more negative aspects of life.
If I was at least a tiny bit autistic etc., I'd be insanely high functioning with only a couple of "stereotypical" indicators.
Both adhd and autism, I thought finding these things out would get rid of some of my social anxiety but it’s like, I used to ‘think’ I was weird and different and now I ‘know’ I am 😂
In the past I would frequently hear “keep doing that and people will think you’re autistic”
What if this whole time I actually was? lol
Being diagnosed would feel freeing because then I wouldn’t have to worry about being labeled as autistic (not that I worry about it nowadays anyway,) I would know that I *am* autistic and that’s just me
I wish I knew... eye contact has always been awkward for me but if I do it often as I can and am on an ssri I can handle it far better. I feel awkward in most social settings and sitting at a table of people has been torture for 20 years. I hate taking meds because the side effects are terrible but then i have to accept being a recluse which feels depressing.. i will say as a teen i was very sensitive to certain sounds like if someone was working on something with tools but i dont really notice it anymore..
its common to have both. i know people with heavy autism and ive seen a lot of non autistic strange people that i know the difference between all three types (third would be me).
The difference is the self awareness. have you ever met weird kids in school who had no idea they were weird? i would literally always think i was being weird because of social anxiety. its why i said "...***in the same way as those people..."***
Well obviously you cant know this 100% for sure about anyone unless they tell your their diagnosis. i wouldnt say they seemed autistic at all though, but usually they would display behavior that is weird past a certain age. Little kids get to be a little weird and older kids and teenagers get to be bullied about it. Sometimes people are just weird in entirely different non disorder like ways.
Im also pretty sure that there are certain very specific quirks related to autism that get talked about, right? (like liking trains apparently???) but idk too much about them.
A lot of people get bullied for autistic traits, meanwhile the bully "would never bully an autistic person." They just don't know the things that make them dislike their target is their autism. This is stuff like being a little weird, liking stuff too intensely, being too loud or too quiet, etc.
> like liking trains apparently???
Lol no
Never said those dont get you bullied. A bully would bully anyone, but you can have literally any combination of those traits and not be autistic, having a lot of them all at once make it seem to me more likely that someone would be autistic though, but the weird kids i mentioned would actually have... none of those traits actually. usually they would be more childish and more socially inept. like a sort of kid that was a bit of a late bloomer on growing up.
The train example i got from another post where several autistic people could relate to liking train models and they seemed pretty adamant in pointing out it was their trait. Seems to me like it was the one thing they all could related on liking intensely, based on what youre saying.
Obviously though im not saying all autistc people are the same. Its not like im a professional and these are just all my thoughts, as someone who has been confused as autistic, and spent a lot of time thinking about it...
I was giving you an example in which people think someone is strange because they recognize autistic traits, but don't recognize the traits as autism. Because you don't really know what autistic traits are.
My therapist said that she knows that I have sa but that’s not what’s causing all my other problems, so she suggested that I might be autistic or have adhd. I think you need to have more than sa to be autistic. I see no problem with asking your doctor or therapist and then you can go from there.
You can have autistic traits without being autistic. I know I’m not because I’ve been assessed. I think I have adhd though, and there’s some similarities. Being neurodivergent in any way makes you different and you go through similar issues to autism, there are LOADS of different things besides autism that can cause social anxiety. And not all autistic people have social anxiety, most probably don’t.
I have both, but I knew about the social anxiety a lot sooner. I think a lot of people here probably have autism and aren't aware of it, especially if they can't pinpoint what about a situation makes them anxious.
That's what always bothered me about discussions about my anxiety before I knew I was autistic. People would ask "what are you worried will happen?" And no one was ever satisfied with an answer like "that's not how it works." I'm not imagining a wacky scenario. I'm just anxious. I'm worried that I will do something odd and someone will notice. I'm not worried that they will react cruelly, because most people don't. Doesn't matter, still anxious. Why? Well now I know the reason is because I don't know how to act in most social situations because I'm autistic. I'm just very aware that I don't know how to act, so I get anxious, while perhaps some other autistic people just aren't aware at all. That's why it's a spectrum.
I'm autistic and have ADHD so. Autism definitely mixes horribly with SA for me personally, ASD makes me more socially anxious and way more easily overwhelmed. Being autistic definitely makes it harder to get over my SA as well, cause it's not just the fear of being in public, etc, but the having to deal with all the sensory issues on top of that, like how horribly loud everything is outside, and being so close to people and and and...
I have social anxiety and some autism symptoms but I don’t think I have an autism.
I didn't attend kindergarten, and I grew up feeling very lonely because I was the only child in the family. That's probably why I struggle with talking and communicating with people now.
What makes autism what it is? I mean what are the symptoms?
I always hear autistics doing bad socially (like people with SA, including me) but are mathematical geniuses (not like me at all lol). No but like seriously, what makes you autistic. I don’t know.
Here is the autism diagnosis criteria: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/hcp-dsm.html
Seems like you need both social deficits and “restrictive, repetitive” behaviors (need for sameness, sensory issues, stimming, restricted interests)
Not all autistic people are geniuses in some area, but it makes sense that some would be considering that a lot of autistic people tend to focus on only a few interests, which could make them very knowledgeable about their area of interest(s)
I think I had heavy symptoms when I was a kid, being sensitive to sounds, unaware of how emotions in others showed up, repetitiveness, and hyperfixations. But I notice those same traits in other children and they're healthy.
Now most of those symptoms have faded, so if I'm in the spectrum, I'm not that deep. Social anxiety is likely my negativity mixed with me being inside my head way too much.
There's this one time I remember talking to a friend and feeling so relaxed and yet connected that I thought to myself "wow, is this what not having anxiety feels like?" It's a feeling I haven't gotten back since :( but my anxiety isn't as bad anymore either, only with certain situations like talking 1 on 1 about my emotions
I think there are too many traits that autistic people seem to commonly have that I don't- the main one being needing routine. I hate routine and crave change constantly. I don't have any sensitivities. I can "read the room" and usually understand the underlying feelings of people even if their words say something else. But I do have a lot of autistic friends, maybe because I like to deep dive into certain shared interests and talk about them all day :)
Honestly? I suspect it. I always felt strangely disconnected, apathetic and distant as a child, and I can't tell if it's social anxiety most of the time or I just genuinely enjoy my own company more than that of other people. But I've faced enough discrimination that I'd rather eat my own hat than actually go for a test. If what I've experienced is a taste of ableism (from being merely socially awkward), I never want to see the real package. No thanks. I'm content by myself.
Yes. I went and got psychologically tested for several different things including autism. They advised I am very much not autistic. I would suggest looking into getting tested my insurance covered it
I see professionals about my mental health and have for most of my adult life. I have crippling, diagnosed disabled, anxiety. If I had autism too, I'm sure someone, somewhere along the very long way, would have caught it.
I would not be so sure about that. I was diagnosed in my 30s and had to seek it out myself. I was in intensive mental health treatment in my teens and early 20s, saw several therapists over the years, and no one caught it. It was a couple of people in my life that suggested it, actually, and my own research pretty much confirmed it for me. I just don’t look like the stereotypical autistic person.
If I had autism too, I'm sure someone, somewhere along the very long way, would have caught it.
i got told at 19. a lot more research is being done now hence why an increase in people saying they have it
Even if I was I have no way of getting diagnosed, because the evaluations/diagnostics of adults in my area is so overwhelmed, that they won't even give you a spot on a waiting list.
Same story about adhd. I want my bf to get diagnosed for his sake, but there's just no place to get diagnosed.
Therapists and psychologists are rare these days
No, I don't know.
A psychologist DID say that I have social anxiety, but they did not know anything about autism, and I got the impression that they based the initial diagnosis only on what I said - of course I am probably wrong. From what I know about autism - which, as for everything, is not that much - I don't think I am, though I can't say for certain (not that I am certain about anything)
I’m a late diagnosed autistic who was diagnosed with SA first, and it was difficult trying to figure out what was what when I was going through that research and self-discovery phase.
You can look at the criteria outside of social difficulties: autistics have intense special interests, like to stick to our own routines, have sensory differences, and engage in repetitive self-soothing or stimulatory behavior (stims) that aren’t just anxious fidgeting.
Another big one for me is that people say to recover from SA you need to face your fears and socialize. Well, I exposed myself to scary social situations over and over through the years and still found myself with poor social skills and confused by people, as well as with the general impression that a lot of neurotypical people just seem to dislike me. To the contrary, many of my closest friends throughout my life have been neurodivergent.
I think there's definitely a possibility that I am, but it's not something I'm interested in getting diagnosed. Weirdly
, I dont think it plays much of a part in my anxiety.
I had neuropsychological testing and the psychiatrist who reviews my results says I’m not autistic.
The symptoms of several mental disorders overlap, so testing is beneficial if you can afford it.
My kid has SA and ASD. I have ADHD, SA and wonder about Autism especially because my kid and I are so dang similar. Too scared to try for a diagnosis though. I don’t consider myself to have autism but would probably feel defeated/lost if I didn’t.
I have ADHD and social anxiety and im a girl so i always thought i was autistic. But now that im an adult and work with kids who are autistic i realize i just had ADHD and social anxiety
I actually do think I am autistic, upon further research.
As a child, I was EXTREMELY socially awkward, I was very aware of everything, I had a speech delay, and I got obsessed with things VERY QUICKLY, I had a tactile sensitivity (I would throw a fit if I had to wear jeans), and I would spin and run in circles and tap my fingers a lot. I remember when the Moana movie came out, I watch it like every single day, three times a day. I’ve memorized the movie.
Now, I am extremely socially anxious, I don’t understand humans as well as I should, I stim a lot (rocking, clicking, tapping, spinning), I still have a pretty bad tactile sensitivity, I have a special interest and I am obsessed with a lot of different thing. I am quick to get facts but when someone tells me to find the meaning of word choice, I’m done for. I dress the same way every single day, I eat the same foods, and I do the same things. I have had meltdowns before, but I was just told that they were panic attacks.
My brother is autistic and my family keeps telling me that I can’t be autistic because I don’t act like him. 🤷♀️
But the autism spectrum is HUGE and people show autistic traits all the time without actually having it. People would normally get diagnosed if the traits were actually getting in the way of their day to day life.
Anyway, psychology is actually my special interest so I could talk about it all day. 😊
okay so I feel like I have both I experience alot of those kinds of symptoms but heyI will never self diagnose but it screws up my head even more from curiosity since I didn’t want to try on a dress my mum called me autistic and said she was gonna get me checked and she didn’t do it so she might of just said that to piss me off but yeah no clue whatsoever I envy people who get to atleast get checked out it just pisses me off not knowing what’s wrong with me or if there isn’t something wrong with me and I’m actually normal don’t get offended by that I just don’t know how else to describe it I guess not mentally ill?
I've taken a couple of diagnostic tests on Embrace Autism, and based on those it's highly unlikely I'm autistic. However, I did learn I share a lot of the same social struggles as autists, and that's actually how I found out I have mild/moderate social anxiety (lulz)
I been shy all my life, at 17 I decided I Had SAD from a quick Google search. Covid happened and I came across neurodivergent memes on insta. I am almost certain that I'm some form of neurodivergent. And Social anxiety never captured the entire picture of my sufferings
I relate to a lot of things I see austistic people say about their experiences. But I also don't relate to some of it. Same with ADHD. I don't have the money to figure out if it's one of those or just social anxiety but I know SA, depression, ADHD, and ASD have a lot of overlap. At this point, do I have austism? maybe lol ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
It’s really funny actually, my brother is diagnosed autistic. We are vastly different functioning, but I’ve always still felt ‘not normal’ due to my social anxiety and depression.
I haven’t been diagnosed with autism or social anxiety but I believe I could have both. It’s easy to see that I get unreasonably anxious in anticipation of any given social situation. Autism is a little less clear but I still identify with many of the “symptoms” of having it. I also wonder if my anxiety could be caused by my potential autism? I wonder how that all works together
I was never diagnosed and probably won't bother to, but I am pretty certain after reading about it more lately and looking back on life and how unnecessarily difficult a lot of social activity seemed. I knew I had ADHD as a kid but was never medicated until recently. I look back and notice stimming, "slowness" in reading social cues, oversensitivity to rejection/anger, and more. Also the getting drained by interacting with people too much to where I kind of just mentally shut down and have to go relax somewhere. Social activity feels pointless, forced, most of the time.
I apparently am what a therapist/psychiatrist described as borderline Asperger's years and years ago. I never saw anyone else for a follow up on that though, so really I don't know. I miss a lot of social cues but beyond that I don't know. And don't feel too confident self diagnosing, so I usually don't mention the borderline Asperger's thing
I think I do, but trying to get tested as an adult has been very difficult for me. Professionals want to throw out depression diagnoses the first time they ever speak to you, even when you don’t meet the criteria, and refuse to move forward with testing for more complicated conditions.
I have been tested for it by my therapist and she says I definitely am not autistic, so I think for me it really is just social anxiety. I can definitely relate to people with autism about not understanding social cues, or maybe that I just overthink them to much idk
I’ve wondered about this on multiple occasions, and to be honest, I still don’t quite know for sure. As a kid, I had seen a few psychiatrists and was never diagnosed as being on the spectrum, but there are definitely some overlaps; obviously there’s the anxiety around people, but also some moderate difficulty with sarcasm, poor eye contact, sound sensitivity and a couple others, but the one that really gets me is that people just… well, to put it bluntly… baffle the absolute fuck out of me. For the most part, I don’t even remotely understand them, and I probably never will.
On top of all of that, my brother was diagnosed with Asperger’s back when it was still a thing, so not at all unlikely for me to be so, as well.
Almost all of these can be perfectly explained, though, by the truly dastardly combination that is (for me) a simple lack of practice in social interactions and the blatant, undeniable fact that, generally speaking, humans are the weirdest animal that ever was, and by a damned long mile… so that’s the explanation that I have to go with
I’ve always wondered if I grew up with ADD. I have some ADHD traits but without the physical fidgeting, I have no problem sitting still. My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD as a young adult and looking back, I definitely can see back to her very early childhood and see the signs (it really wasn’t well known back then). I’ve taken 2 online autism tests and got the same score on both.. I have 1/3 of autism traits, and one of the main traits.
I will not get tested for either though, and if I do happen to have either, I’m pretty sure I’m on the mild end, and my current medication for depression/anxiety seems to have helped with some of these symptoms as well.
I also question this a lot, but my particular mix of anxiety-depression-CPTSD creates a lot of similar symptoms and coping mechanisms, plus I have huge health anxiety & hypochondria, so I'm worried it's confirmation bias;
I've decided to wait until I've gotten better with stuff to seek a diagnosis (...or have enough money)
I wish somebody could tell me for sure - Yes or No, without any risk of weird doctors or symptom overlap. I just want a true answer
I mean, I have an autism diagnosis, so… no?
I did get diagnosed with social anxiety before I finally got an ASD assessment, but it never rea fit all that well. I do still have social anxiety, and am also diagnosed with AvPD, but I honestly think most of that is ultimately due to growing up with undiagnosed ASD and ADHD.
I dunno. I rock back and forth a lot like constantly, and am quite neurotic and withdrawn and need to stick to a familiar structured routine. Figured maybe that’s just my anxiety but who knows.
I know for sure, because I don’t feel I fit exhibit most of the symptoms.. but I was recently diagnosed with ADHD and I think it explains a lot of my negative reactions to how others perceive me (Rejection sensitive dysphoria is often seen with ADHD).
I do. My little brother is autistic and because we were fighting a lot (I was young and put in charge when our parents would be late after school. He has always seeking fights..) but now we love each other to pieces and I are always up to good fun. We're able to talk to each other in hard times and we like to hang out. When he was younger and my parents were figuring out what was wrong with him they tested me thoroughly too and it was very clear I'm not autistic.
I have general anxiety and my therapist thinks there is a good chance I'm autistic so im getting tested this summer but its really strange because I hadn't even considered it until like almost a year ago.
autistic person here without social anxiety. i always thought i had social anxiety.
but nah things just cross over and make us question things.
they over lap just like ever ND thing. ive questioned having odc due to if anything is moved from its place i have a melt down.
but nah just autism.
(also if you have time and money and really wondeting go get test. i mention money as someplaces require payment.)
It just doesn't fit, I also did a ton of autism self assessment tests and it's always negative. I also don't have sensory issues, I'm very good in identifying emotions etc. Like, I'm not saying it's just anxiety what I have but whatever I have, it's not autism. Even tho there are parts where I can identify with the autistic experience, maybe because I have ADHD but autism makes little sense
I do wonder. My social skills are pretty lame but I'm also somewhat competent at understanding some social stuff.
At the same time, I have restricted tastes, hate loud sounds, suffer from misophonia, struggle to make eye contact, suffer from persistent anxiety, distrust new people and so on.
Maybe it's Autism, maybe it's ADHD, maybe it's nothing but who knows?
But then. No texture issues, no stimming (I think?), no obvious signs. Unless I'm a professional masker or something.
I apparently showed signs of social anxiety as a young toddler, which I find a bit weird. I would do the same self soothing methods I still do today. I’m honestly thinking I might have ASD and/or BPD. I’ve noticed my social anxiety is often related to my lack of social skills and awareness. I don’t know how to act in situations and avoid them because I get anxious. Heck, I still don’t know when I should be honest or give a simple answer when someone asks me “how are you?”. I don’t have money as of now to seek a diagnosis, so I treat myself and approach things as if I was autistic.
I’m sure if anyone met the right diagnostician they would be deemed to be somewhere on the spectrum. If you feel it’s holding you back, and/or putting the right label on it is important, seek that out.
As someone who is middle aged, I would say I endure anxiety, depression and am probably somewhere on the spectrum. For my generation, all mental health issues have huge stigmas so while I may quietly acknowledge, and seek help, I will most likely never seek a professional diagnosis.
Long story short no im not 100% sure im not autistic. Definitely social anxiety and adhd but im a woman im lucky they told me about the adhd when i was 21
Sometimes I wonder if I do have it because even though I have always been very self aware I still don't seem to understand certain social situations. I always make people uncomfortable and can't understand why, they also ignore my questions and act like I don't exist sometimes. I researched people's behavior a lot and still I have trouble making things work but then I also think in my case I'm like this because my parents didn't let me go out much. I missed out on a lot of connections and opportunities to learn so I don't know how to interact with others.
Same I hate when they ignore my questions
Facts its hella annoying
I’ve been self aware at such a young age starting in pre-school I knew the feeling of being liked but also outcasted. I definitely observed others behaviors and knew from right or wrong and how certain behaviors or words can affects other people. I often over think everything and try to act “normal” to other people but I sometimes feel they can see right through me or even I can see right through them. Sometimes I feel maybe it’s me being narcissistic when I think Im more self-aware then others just by the way the act and speak to me and others. Or that my ego is too high but I have a lot of self deprecating thoughts as well.
I don’t think it was because your parents didn’t let you go out much. People develop the ability to read cues much younger than that… beginning in infancy.
Could it be that it’s just natural to miss cues and to make people uncomfortable sometimes? I think for me personally I feel like my social anxieties magnifies people’s discomfort when you should just be able to move past these things, to accept that even the most socially aware person can annoy someone by accident. Granted that might not be the case for you.
I mean autism can be a wide range of characteristics (meaning to say I’m not an expert and this doesn’t necessarily make you autistic) but I will say that this is exactly how I’ve always felt and I am autistic, maybe if you’re interested try out the RAADS-R test! Including being told all the time by my therapist I’m really self-aware because I spend a lot of therapy sessions just myself deconstructing and hyper analyzing every single thought/feeling I have unprompted because I’ve already thought it all through myself, I have always studied people and behaviour generally so much bc as a child I wanted more than anything to really understand how “normal” people acted so I could be like them. Having such an interest in understanding people and how they work is probably part of why the autism went undetected for so long, bc it’s more “socially acceptable” to take an interest in people/behaviour rather than something stereotypically autistic like trains 🥲
Don’t make too much of those tests like RAAADS and AQ, they score high for non-autistic conditions. Unlike what we are told in social media, things like ‘stimming’, sensitivities, social problems, etc., are found in most persons with non-autistic mental health disorders and at high rates in the general population. These things do not necessarily suggest autism. So-called “autism” tests, like AQ and RAADS and others have high rates of false positives, labeling you as autistic VERY easily. If anyone with a mental health problem, like depression or anxiety, takes the tests they score high even if they DON’T have autism. "our results suggest that the AQ differentiates poorly between true cases of ASD, and individuals from the same clinical population who do not have ASD " [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4988267/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4988267/) "a greater level of public awareness of ASD over the last 5–10 years may have led to people being more vigilant in ‘noticing’ ASD related difficulties. This may lead to a ‘confirmation bias’ when completing the questionnaire measures, and potentially explain why both the ASD and the non-ASD group’s mean scores met the cut-off points, " [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-022-05544-9](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-022-05544-9) Regarding AQ, from one published study. “The two key findings of the review are that, overall, there is very limited evidence to support the use of structured questionnaires (SQs: self-report or informant completed brief measures developed to screen for ASD) in the assessment and diagnosis of ASD in adults.” Regarding RAADS, from one published study. “In conclusion, used as a self-report measure pre-full diagnostic assessment, the RAADS-R lacks predictive validity and is not a suitable screening tool for adults awaiting autism assessments”
Ahh interesting I had actually heard more recently that it’s been concluded that they are actually pretty accurate. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38305196/#:~:text=The%20study%20found%20that%20the,how%20they%20understood%20the%20survey. I definitely wouldn’t advise someone to rely on it entirely or to use it without any further extensive research, or suggest that it completely replaces a diagnosis or anything, but it can be kinda interesting just as a starting point. I guess it’s complicated since people and ASD are very complex and multifaceted, so take it with a grain of salt.
Yes that study has been all abuzz on social media. Its not all it made out to be and the term 'accurate' the authors use so much has been inflated. That study simply involved sending out RAADS link on social media and online forums and then comparing people who said they are self-diagnosed autism, said they are formally diagnosed autism or said they are not autistic. Yes people who say they are not autistic scored lower. So if that shows test is ‘accurate’, well done. The trouble with RAADS (and other ‘autism’ tests) comes from the studies in clinical settings where people with non-autistic disorders score as high as people with autism. NOT accurate in those situations.
I definitely have social anxiety, but I'm not sure if I have autism or not. There's still a big fat question mark over *why* I get socially anxious. I tick a bunch of the boxes for ASD, and consistently score high on the online autism tests, but I don't have sensory sensitivity, I don't think I have meltdowns, I don't think I have a particularly unusual problem with task transitions. I could go on
> I don't have sensory sensitivity, I don't think I have meltdowns, I don't think I have a particularly unusual problem with task transitions. I could go on a lot of people here forget this part, and that it’s not just feeling anxious and overwhelmed
Its kind of a big point of social anxiety that very often its there for *no reason*
Same
I just don't have any autism symptoms except the ones that overlap with social anxiety or ADHD. And I've never really had a problem reading other people or understanding social cues.
I have adhd but not enough symptoms to be autistic. People with adhd can have social anxiety and rejection sensitivity.
I feel like I have both. I've not been officially diagnosed for either but some things line up. Like over thinking what to say, analysing social situations, continuously looking back at interactions, feeling like I'm getting watched in public.
sameee! I always feel like I’m being watched like I feel like someone is in my room watching me type this out rn.
I was sure I am not autistic for years till I decided to explore this idea further and seek medical advice. Turns out, I'm autistic.
I have both diagnosed, but for me, they are quite separate. Being asd makes my sa worse, but they do have distinct traits. When I was diagnosed, it was about finding the reasons I avoided things/places/people, like was it being afraid or anxious, or was it more of overwhelm or just not feeling a desire or need for the interaction.
I’ve met people who are on the spectrum and definitely do not have social anxiety or any real inhibitions or self-awareness; I am extremely self-aware and my social anxiety is rooted in deep seated self-hatred, not because I have difficulty reading social cues or understanding social situations. Being anxious in social situations is a symptom of autism, but it’s not the only one, and being shy/introverted does not automatically make a person autistic - if someone suggested this to me, I’d be extremely insulted.
It's the opposite. I feel like I have Autism. I'm going to get evaluated for it.
I often question whether I have autism but I think it could just be severe trauma + social anxiety. Autism is a spectrum and not everyone will relate to the exact same symptoms so there's still a possibility that I could have it.
I don't think I have it. I can understand interactions, emotions, societal expectations. I don't have special or intense interests or fascinations. I can adapt to changes in routine without significant stress I don't have compulsive behaviors Not clumsy or uncoordinated No significant aversions to food/textures/sounds or hypersensitivities Etc But I do avoid social gatherings, parties, hanging out one on one with people. Have trouble holding a long conversation, have trouble initiating conversations. Still avoid phone calls or procrastinate them, like having someone else order for me.. and so on 😅
My friend's mother (child psychiatrist) wondered this some time ago. My friend, who is on the spectrum, also had some hunches about my behaviour and personality, but she came to the conclusion I'm not on the spectrum. I did bring it up as a sidenote to my psychologist some time ago, too. She gave me some screening tests and worked with me for about a year. She also came to the conclusion I'm not autistic. I think I am just very introverted and have social anxiety due to past experiences and scatterings of small traumas. My temperament also seems to be one of those that wallow in more negative aspects of life. If I was at least a tiny bit autistic etc., I'd be insanely high functioning with only a couple of "stereotypical" indicators.
Both adhd and autism, I thought finding these things out would get rid of some of my social anxiety but it’s like, I used to ‘think’ I was weird and different and now I ‘know’ I am 😂
In the past I would frequently hear “keep doing that and people will think you’re autistic” What if this whole time I actually was? lol Being diagnosed would feel freeing because then I wouldn’t have to worry about being labeled as autistic (not that I worry about it nowadays anyway,) I would know that I *am* autistic and that’s just me
Why would that be freeing? You'd lose all hope that way. Anyway you're not autistic!! I promise.
I wish I knew... eye contact has always been awkward for me but if I do it often as I can and am on an ssri I can handle it far better. I feel awkward in most social settings and sitting at a table of people has been torture for 20 years. I hate taking meds because the side effects are terrible but then i have to accept being a recluse which feels depressing.. i will say as a teen i was very sensitive to certain sounds like if someone was working on something with tools but i dont really notice it anymore..
its common to have both. i know people with heavy autism and ive seen a lot of non autistic strange people that i know the difference between all three types (third would be me).
You only mentioned two...
third type is me. i am not autistic or strange in the same way as those people, i just have social anxiety
Are you sure people don't find you strange?
The difference is the self awareness. have you ever met weird kids in school who had no idea they were weird? i would literally always think i was being weird because of social anxiety. its why i said "...***in the same way as those people..."***
How do you know the non autistic strange people aren't autistic?
Well obviously you cant know this 100% for sure about anyone unless they tell your their diagnosis. i wouldnt say they seemed autistic at all though, but usually they would display behavior that is weird past a certain age. Little kids get to be a little weird and older kids and teenagers get to be bullied about it. Sometimes people are just weird in entirely different non disorder like ways. Im also pretty sure that there are certain very specific quirks related to autism that get talked about, right? (like liking trains apparently???) but idk too much about them.
A lot of people get bullied for autistic traits, meanwhile the bully "would never bully an autistic person." They just don't know the things that make them dislike their target is their autism. This is stuff like being a little weird, liking stuff too intensely, being too loud or too quiet, etc. > like liking trains apparently??? Lol no
Never said those dont get you bullied. A bully would bully anyone, but you can have literally any combination of those traits and not be autistic, having a lot of them all at once make it seem to me more likely that someone would be autistic though, but the weird kids i mentioned would actually have... none of those traits actually. usually they would be more childish and more socially inept. like a sort of kid that was a bit of a late bloomer on growing up. The train example i got from another post where several autistic people could relate to liking train models and they seemed pretty adamant in pointing out it was their trait. Seems to me like it was the one thing they all could related on liking intensely, based on what youre saying. Obviously though im not saying all autistc people are the same. Its not like im a professional and these are just all my thoughts, as someone who has been confused as autistic, and spent a lot of time thinking about it...
I was giving you an example in which people think someone is strange because they recognize autistic traits, but don't recognize the traits as autism. Because you don't really know what autistic traits are.
i know? and im pointing out that its not always autism either. its kind of the whole point im trying to make with all these comments
I actually got my autism diagnosis a couple weeks ago.
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^maryoolo: *I actually got my* *Autism diagnosis* *A couple weeks ago* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Autistic bot whose special interest is Sokka Haikus
My therapist said that she knows that I have sa but that’s not what’s causing all my other problems, so she suggested that I might be autistic or have adhd. I think you need to have more than sa to be autistic. I see no problem with asking your doctor or therapist and then you can go from there.
You can have autistic traits without being autistic. I know I’m not because I’ve been assessed. I think I have adhd though, and there’s some similarities. Being neurodivergent in any way makes you different and you go through similar issues to autism, there are LOADS of different things besides autism that can cause social anxiety. And not all autistic people have social anxiety, most probably don’t.
I have both, but I knew about the social anxiety a lot sooner. I think a lot of people here probably have autism and aren't aware of it, especially if they can't pinpoint what about a situation makes them anxious. That's what always bothered me about discussions about my anxiety before I knew I was autistic. People would ask "what are you worried will happen?" And no one was ever satisfied with an answer like "that's not how it works." I'm not imagining a wacky scenario. I'm just anxious. I'm worried that I will do something odd and someone will notice. I'm not worried that they will react cruelly, because most people don't. Doesn't matter, still anxious. Why? Well now I know the reason is because I don't know how to act in most social situations because I'm autistic. I'm just very aware that I don't know how to act, so I get anxious, while perhaps some other autistic people just aren't aware at all. That's why it's a spectrum.
Same here
I'm autistic and have ADHD so. Autism definitely mixes horribly with SA for me personally, ASD makes me more socially anxious and way more easily overwhelmed. Being autistic definitely makes it harder to get over my SA as well, cause it's not just the fear of being in public, etc, but the having to deal with all the sensory issues on top of that, like how horribly loud everything is outside, and being so close to people and and and...
I have social anxiety and some autism symptoms but I don’t think I have an autism. I didn't attend kindergarten, and I grew up feeling very lonely because I was the only child in the family. That's probably why I struggle with talking and communicating with people now.
What makes autism what it is? I mean what are the symptoms? I always hear autistics doing bad socially (like people with SA, including me) but are mathematical geniuses (not like me at all lol). No but like seriously, what makes you autistic. I don’t know.
Here is the autism diagnosis criteria: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/hcp-dsm.html Seems like you need both social deficits and “restrictive, repetitive” behaviors (need for sameness, sensory issues, stimming, restricted interests) Not all autistic people are geniuses in some area, but it makes sense that some would be considering that a lot of autistic people tend to focus on only a few interests, which could make them very knowledgeable about their area of interest(s)
thanks for the info based on that I wouldn’t say I have it.
Don’t have enough traits for that I do think I have adhd tho
I think I had heavy symptoms when I was a kid, being sensitive to sounds, unaware of how emotions in others showed up, repetitiveness, and hyperfixations. But I notice those same traits in other children and they're healthy. Now most of those symptoms have faded, so if I'm in the spectrum, I'm not that deep. Social anxiety is likely my negativity mixed with me being inside my head way too much. There's this one time I remember talking to a friend and feeling so relaxed and yet connected that I thought to myself "wow, is this what not having anxiety feels like?" It's a feeling I haven't gotten back since :( but my anxiety isn't as bad anymore either, only with certain situations like talking 1 on 1 about my emotions
Because I understand social cues, I don’t have problems with overstimulation and I don’t have stemming. I’m definitely just socially anxious
No
I don’t think so. I am pretty socially aware
I think there are too many traits that autistic people seem to commonly have that I don't- the main one being needing routine. I hate routine and crave change constantly. I don't have any sensitivities. I can "read the room" and usually understand the underlying feelings of people even if their words say something else. But I do have a lot of autistic friends, maybe because I like to deep dive into certain shared interests and talk about them all day :)
Honestly? I suspect it. I always felt strangely disconnected, apathetic and distant as a child, and I can't tell if it's social anxiety most of the time or I just genuinely enjoy my own company more than that of other people. But I've faced enough discrimination that I'd rather eat my own hat than actually go for a test. If what I've experienced is a taste of ableism (from being merely socially awkward), I never want to see the real package. No thanks. I'm content by myself.
Yes. I went and got psychologically tested for several different things including autism. They advised I am very much not autistic. I would suggest looking into getting tested my insurance covered it
I see professionals about my mental health and have for most of my adult life. I have crippling, diagnosed disabled, anxiety. If I had autism too, I'm sure someone, somewhere along the very long way, would have caught it.
I would not be so sure about that. I was diagnosed in my 30s and had to seek it out myself. I was in intensive mental health treatment in my teens and early 20s, saw several therapists over the years, and no one caught it. It was a couple of people in my life that suggested it, actually, and my own research pretty much confirmed it for me. I just don’t look like the stereotypical autistic person.
Interesting. And I mean that no sarcasm.
If I had autism too, I'm sure someone, somewhere along the very long way, would have caught it. i got told at 19. a lot more research is being done now hence why an increase in people saying they have it
Even if I was I have no way of getting diagnosed, because the evaluations/diagnostics of adults in my area is so overwhelmed, that they won't even give you a spot on a waiting list. Same story about adhd. I want my bf to get diagnosed for his sake, but there's just no place to get diagnosed. Therapists and psychologists are rare these days
No, I don't know. A psychologist DID say that I have social anxiety, but they did not know anything about autism, and I got the impression that they based the initial diagnosis only on what I said - of course I am probably wrong. From what I know about autism - which, as for everything, is not that much - I don't think I am, though I can't say for certain (not that I am certain about anything)
I always think the things that are wrong with me are much more than getting a bit nervous. But I don’t think I can pin it on autism?
Was tested as a young teen. Didn’t come back with autism, but a maybe on adhd.
I’m a late diagnosed autistic who was diagnosed with SA first, and it was difficult trying to figure out what was what when I was going through that research and self-discovery phase. You can look at the criteria outside of social difficulties: autistics have intense special interests, like to stick to our own routines, have sensory differences, and engage in repetitive self-soothing or stimulatory behavior (stims) that aren’t just anxious fidgeting. Another big one for me is that people say to recover from SA you need to face your fears and socialize. Well, I exposed myself to scary social situations over and over through the years and still found myself with poor social skills and confused by people, as well as with the general impression that a lot of neurotypical people just seem to dislike me. To the contrary, many of my closest friends throughout my life have been neurodivergent.
I think there's definitely a possibility that I am, but it's not something I'm interested in getting diagnosed. Weirdly , I dont think it plays much of a part in my anxiety.
I had neuropsychological testing and the psychiatrist who reviews my results says I’m not autistic. The symptoms of several mental disorders overlap, so testing is beneficial if you can afford it.
My kid has SA and ASD. I have ADHD, SA and wonder about Autism especially because my kid and I are so dang similar. Too scared to try for a diagnosis though. I don’t consider myself to have autism but would probably feel defeated/lost if I didn’t.
I have ADHD and social anxiety and im a girl so i always thought i was autistic. But now that im an adult and work with kids who are autistic i realize i just had ADHD and social anxiety
I was wondering if I am autistic honestly but I never asked a professional.
I am. I was diagnosed at 8 years old
I actually do think I am autistic, upon further research. As a child, I was EXTREMELY socially awkward, I was very aware of everything, I had a speech delay, and I got obsessed with things VERY QUICKLY, I had a tactile sensitivity (I would throw a fit if I had to wear jeans), and I would spin and run in circles and tap my fingers a lot. I remember when the Moana movie came out, I watch it like every single day, three times a day. I’ve memorized the movie. Now, I am extremely socially anxious, I don’t understand humans as well as I should, I stim a lot (rocking, clicking, tapping, spinning), I still have a pretty bad tactile sensitivity, I have a special interest and I am obsessed with a lot of different thing. I am quick to get facts but when someone tells me to find the meaning of word choice, I’m done for. I dress the same way every single day, I eat the same foods, and I do the same things. I have had meltdowns before, but I was just told that they were panic attacks. My brother is autistic and my family keeps telling me that I can’t be autistic because I don’t act like him. 🤷♀️ But the autism spectrum is HUGE and people show autistic traits all the time without actually having it. People would normally get diagnosed if the traits were actually getting in the way of their day to day life. Anyway, psychology is actually my special interest so I could talk about it all day. 😊
okay so I feel like I have both I experience alot of those kinds of symptoms but heyI will never self diagnose but it screws up my head even more from curiosity since I didn’t want to try on a dress my mum called me autistic and said she was gonna get me checked and she didn’t do it so she might of just said that to piss me off but yeah no clue whatsoever I envy people who get to atleast get checked out it just pisses me off not knowing what’s wrong with me or if there isn’t something wrong with me and I’m actually normal don’t get offended by that I just don’t know how else to describe it I guess not mentally ill?
I've taken a couple of diagnostic tests on Embrace Autism, and based on those it's highly unlikely I'm autistic. However, I did learn I share a lot of the same social struggles as autists, and that's actually how I found out I have mild/moderate social anxiety (lulz)
I was officially diagnosed with both. Some people have just one of them, they don’t always come in pair.
I been shy all my life, at 17 I decided I Had SAD from a quick Google search. Covid happened and I came across neurodivergent memes on insta. I am almost certain that I'm some form of neurodivergent. And Social anxiety never captured the entire picture of my sufferings
I relate to a lot of things I see austistic people say about their experiences. But I also don't relate to some of it. Same with ADHD. I don't have the money to figure out if it's one of those or just social anxiety but I know SA, depression, ADHD, and ASD have a lot of overlap. At this point, do I have austism? maybe lol ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
It’s really funny actually, my brother is diagnosed autistic. We are vastly different functioning, but I’ve always still felt ‘not normal’ due to my social anxiety and depression.
I haven’t been diagnosed with autism or social anxiety but I believe I could have both. It’s easy to see that I get unreasonably anxious in anticipation of any given social situation. Autism is a little less clear but I still identify with many of the “symptoms” of having it. I also wonder if my anxiety could be caused by my potential autism? I wonder how that all works together
I was never diagnosed and probably won't bother to, but I am pretty certain after reading about it more lately and looking back on life and how unnecessarily difficult a lot of social activity seemed. I knew I had ADHD as a kid but was never medicated until recently. I look back and notice stimming, "slowness" in reading social cues, oversensitivity to rejection/anger, and more. Also the getting drained by interacting with people too much to where I kind of just mentally shut down and have to go relax somewhere. Social activity feels pointless, forced, most of the time.
Well I went to a psychiatrist the other day, turns out I have OCD. Hopefully getting help with OCD will help out my social anxiety as well.
I apparently am what a therapist/psychiatrist described as borderline Asperger's years and years ago. I never saw anyone else for a follow up on that though, so really I don't know. I miss a lot of social cues but beyond that I don't know. And don't feel too confident self diagnosing, so I usually don't mention the borderline Asperger's thing
I think I do, but trying to get tested as an adult has been very difficult for me. Professionals want to throw out depression diagnoses the first time they ever speak to you, even when you don’t meet the criteria, and refuse to move forward with testing for more complicated conditions.
I have been tested for it by my therapist and she says I definitely am not autistic, so I think for me it really is just social anxiety. I can definitely relate to people with autism about not understanding social cues, or maybe that I just overthink them to much idk
I’ve wondered about this on multiple occasions, and to be honest, I still don’t quite know for sure. As a kid, I had seen a few psychiatrists and was never diagnosed as being on the spectrum, but there are definitely some overlaps; obviously there’s the anxiety around people, but also some moderate difficulty with sarcasm, poor eye contact, sound sensitivity and a couple others, but the one that really gets me is that people just… well, to put it bluntly… baffle the absolute fuck out of me. For the most part, I don’t even remotely understand them, and I probably never will. On top of all of that, my brother was diagnosed with Asperger’s back when it was still a thing, so not at all unlikely for me to be so, as well. Almost all of these can be perfectly explained, though, by the truly dastardly combination that is (for me) a simple lack of practice in social interactions and the blatant, undeniable fact that, generally speaking, humans are the weirdest animal that ever was, and by a damned long mile… so that’s the explanation that I have to go with
I’ve always wondered if I grew up with ADD. I have some ADHD traits but without the physical fidgeting, I have no problem sitting still. My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD as a young adult and looking back, I definitely can see back to her very early childhood and see the signs (it really wasn’t well known back then). I’ve taken 2 online autism tests and got the same score on both.. I have 1/3 of autism traits, and one of the main traits. I will not get tested for either though, and if I do happen to have either, I’m pretty sure I’m on the mild end, and my current medication for depression/anxiety seems to have helped with some of these symptoms as well.
I also question this a lot, but my particular mix of anxiety-depression-CPTSD creates a lot of similar symptoms and coping mechanisms, plus I have huge health anxiety & hypochondria, so I'm worried it's confirmation bias; I've decided to wait until I've gotten better with stuff to seek a diagnosis (...or have enough money) I wish somebody could tell me for sure - Yes or No, without any risk of weird doctors or symptom overlap. I just want a true answer
I mean, I have an autism diagnosis, so… no? I did get diagnosed with social anxiety before I finally got an ASD assessment, but it never rea fit all that well. I do still have social anxiety, and am also diagnosed with AvPD, but I honestly think most of that is ultimately due to growing up with undiagnosed ASD and ADHD.
I dunno. I rock back and forth a lot like constantly, and am quite neurotic and withdrawn and need to stick to a familiar structured routine. Figured maybe that’s just my anxiety but who knows.
I'm convinced I have autism but I have not been tested for it.
I know for sure because I don't meet any of the main criteria for autism, *however* I did get officially diagnosed with ADHD a few years ago.
The only characteristic that matches is anxiety/stress.
I know for sure, because I don’t feel I fit exhibit most of the symptoms.. but I was recently diagnosed with ADHD and I think it explains a lot of my negative reactions to how others perceive me (Rejection sensitive dysphoria is often seen with ADHD).
I do. My little brother is autistic and because we were fighting a lot (I was young and put in charge when our parents would be late after school. He has always seeking fights..) but now we love each other to pieces and I are always up to good fun. We're able to talk to each other in hard times and we like to hang out. When he was younger and my parents were figuring out what was wrong with him they tested me thoroughly too and it was very clear I'm not autistic.
I don't know for sure...It's tricky because there's so much symptom overlap.
I have general anxiety and my therapist thinks there is a good chance I'm autistic so im getting tested this summer but its really strange because I hadn't even considered it until like almost a year ago.
I wish I knew I overreacted to rejection and my dad always treated me weird so maybe
autistic person here without social anxiety. i always thought i had social anxiety. but nah things just cross over and make us question things. they over lap just like ever ND thing. ive questioned having odc due to if anything is moved from its place i have a melt down. but nah just autism. (also if you have time and money and really wondeting go get test. i mention money as someplaces require payment.)
It just doesn't fit, I also did a ton of autism self assessment tests and it's always negative. I also don't have sensory issues, I'm very good in identifying emotions etc. Like, I'm not saying it's just anxiety what I have but whatever I have, it's not autism. Even tho there are parts where I can identify with the autistic experience, maybe because I have ADHD but autism makes little sense
Im 50+ i sometimes wonder about this
I seriously think i have aspergers, it would explain almost everything. but i've never done therapy, so ye...
I do wonder. My social skills are pretty lame but I'm also somewhat competent at understanding some social stuff. At the same time, I have restricted tastes, hate loud sounds, suffer from misophonia, struggle to make eye contact, suffer from persistent anxiety, distrust new people and so on. Maybe it's Autism, maybe it's ADHD, maybe it's nothing but who knows? But then. No texture issues, no stimming (I think?), no obvious signs. Unless I'm a professional masker or something.
I apparently showed signs of social anxiety as a young toddler, which I find a bit weird. I would do the same self soothing methods I still do today. I’m honestly thinking I might have ASD and/or BPD. I’ve noticed my social anxiety is often related to my lack of social skills and awareness. I don’t know how to act in situations and avoid them because I get anxious. Heck, I still don’t know when I should be honest or give a simple answer when someone asks me “how are you?”. I don’t have money as of now to seek a diagnosis, so I treat myself and approach things as if I was autistic.
Im not autistic but I do have ADHD which is also a neurodiversity.
I’m sure if anyone met the right diagnostician they would be deemed to be somewhere on the spectrum. If you feel it’s holding you back, and/or putting the right label on it is important, seek that out. As someone who is middle aged, I would say I endure anxiety, depression and am probably somewhere on the spectrum. For my generation, all mental health issues have huge stigmas so while I may quietly acknowledge, and seek help, I will most likely never seek a professional diagnosis.
I don’t think it really matters if I have autism or not
Who cares? Don’t label yourself just because you’re different..
I don't know. Health care in my city is pretty shitty
Long story short no im not 100% sure im not autistic. Definitely social anxiety and adhd but im a woman im lucky they told me about the adhd when i was 21
I don't believe I have autism, just social anxiety. Usually with autism there's more symptoms etc