Autism is a congenital disorder that lasts a lifetime and affects people in different ways. Although it can already be diagnosed in young children, in some cases the signs are not immediately evident or are not well interpreted. This means that some autistic people do not discover that they are ill until adolescence or adulthood. If you've often felt different without knowing why, it's possible you are on the autism spectrum.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Observe the General Features
Step 1. Think about how you react to social stimuli
Autistic people have trouble understanding the subtleties of social interactions. This can complicate many relationships, from friendships to those with colleagues. Consider if you've ever happened to:
- Having trouble understanding how another person feels (for example, you don't know if they are too sleepy to talk or not);
- Being told that your behavior is inappropriate and being surprised
- Not understanding that a person is tired of talking and would rather do something else;
- Often feeling confused by the behaviors of others.
Step 2. Ask yourself if you have trouble understanding other people's thoughts
Although autistic people are often empathic and caring about others, they usually have limitations in "cognitive / affective empathy" (the ability to understand what others think based on signals such as tone of voice, body language and facial expressions.). Autistics often struggle to understand the nuances of other people's thoughts and this can lead to misunderstandings. They usually need other people to be clear with them.
- Autistic people may have trouble understanding someone's opinion of something.
- It is not easy for them to recognize sarcasm and lies, because they do not understand that a person's thoughts are different from the words they say.
- Autistics are not always able to grasp non-verbal messages.
- In extreme cases, they have serious problems with "social imagination" and fail to understand that other people think differently from their own ("theory of mind").
Step 3. Consider your reaction to unexpected events
Autistics often rely on familiar routines for stability and security. Routine changes, new unfamiliar events, and sudden schedule changes can bother them. If you are autistic, you may have:
- Feeling upset, scared, or angry about a sudden change of plans
- Forgetting to do important things (like eating or taking medication) without a routine to help you
- Panic if things don't happen when they should.
Step 4. Notice if you have a tendency to self-stimulate
Stereotypies, also called stimming or self-stimulation behaviors, are similar to the habit of fidgeting and are a type of repeated movement done to regain calm, focus, express emotions, communicate and deal with difficult situations. Although we all self-stimulate, this attitude is particularly frequent and important in autistics. If you have not yet received a diagnosis, these types of behaviors may not be very pronounced. You may also have "unlearned" some childhood habits if you were often criticized. Here are some examples of stereotypies:
- Shake or clap your hands;
- Moving back and forth;
- Hugging yourself tightly, shaking hands or covering yourself with heavy blankets
- Tap your fingers, feet, a pencil, etc.
- Bumping into things for fun;
- Play with your hair;
- Fast walking, spinning, or jumping
- Watching bright lights, intense colors, or animated GIFs
- Sing or listen to a song endlessly;
- Smelling soaps or perfumes;
Step 5. Identify sensory problems
Many autistics suffer from sensory processing disorder (also known as sensory integration disorder), which makes the brain too sensitive, or not enough, to some sensory input. You may find that some senses are heightened and others are attenuated. Here are some examples:
- View: You are overwhelmed by intense colors or moving objects, you do not notice traffic signs, you are attracted to hectic activities.
- Hearing: You cover your ears or hide from loud noises, such as vacuum cleaners or crowded places, you don't notice when people talk to you, you don't hear some things they say.
- Smell: you feel upset or nauseated by smells that don't bother others, you don't notice dangerous smells like gasoline, you love strong scents, you buy the strongest smelling soaps and foods.
- Taste: you prefer to eat only "baby" or low-flavor foods, you eat extremely spicy and salty foods while you don't like everything that has little flavor, or you don't like trying new foods.
- Touch: you are bothered by some fabrics or labels, you do not notice when people touch you or when you get hurt, or you always run your hands on everything.
- Vestibular: you get dizzy or you feel sick in the car or on the swings, or you always run and try to get on everywhere.
- Proprioceptive: you always feel unpleasant sensations in your bones and organs, you hit things or you don't notice hunger and fatigue.
Step 6. Consider if you have had a nervous breakdown or shutdown
Nervous crises, fight-or-flight reactions that can be mistaken for whims in childhood, are bursts of emotion that occur when an autistic person can no longer suppress stress. Shutdowns have similar causes, but the person in this case becomes passive and may lose faculties (for example, speech).
You may consider yourself sensitive, short-tempered, or immature
Step 7. Think about your ability to perform (executive function)
This term indicates the ability to be organized, manage time and move naturally from one task to another. Autistics often have difficulty with this feature and must use special strategies (such as very strict programming) to adapt. Here are some symptoms of executive dysfunction:
- Not remembering things (e.g. homework, conversations);
- Forgetting to take care of yourself (eating, showering, brushing your teeth or hair)
- Losing things;
- Procrastinating and having difficulty managing time
- Having trouble starting a business and picking up the pace
- Having a hard time keeping the home environment clean.
Step 8. Consider your passions
Autistic people often have intense and unusual passions, called special interests. Examples include fire trucks, dogs, quantum physics, autism itself, a television show, and writing fiction. Special interests are very intense and finding a new one is comparable to falling in love. Here are some signs that your passions are greater than those of non-autistics:
- You talk about your special interest for a long time and want to share it with others;
- You are able to focus on your passion for hours, losing track of time;
- Organize information for fun by making graphs, tables and spreadsheets;
- You are able to write or say long and detailed explanations of all the nuances of your interest, without preparing in advance, even quoting passages;
- You feel excitement and joy when you take care of your interest;
- Correct people who are knowledgeable on the subject;
- You are afraid to talk about your interests, for fear of annoying people.
Step 9. Think about how easy it is for you to speak and analyze speeches
Autism is often associated with verbal communication difficulties, but the intensity of the problem varies greatly from person to person. If you are autistic, you may experience:
- Learning to speak late (or never being able to);
- Losing the ability to speak when you feel overwhelmed
- Having trouble finding the right words
- Take long breaks in conversation so that you can think
- Avoid difficult conversations because you are not sure if you can express yourself correctly;
- Having a hard time understanding what is said when the acoustic conditions are different, for example in an auditorium or in a film without subtitles;
- You do not remember the information that is spoken to you, especially the long lists;
- You need more time to understand what is being said to you (for example, you don't react to the words "On the fly!" In time).
Step 10. Examine your appearance
One study found that autistic children have distinctive facial features: a wide upper face, large separate eyes, a narrow nose and cheek area, and a large mouth. In other words, a baby face. You may look younger than you are or be told that you are attractive or adorable.
- Not all autistic children have the facial features described. You may only have a few.
- The presence of unusual airways (double branching of the bronchi) is more common in autistic people. The lungs of autistics are completely normal, except for this double branching at the end of the bronchi.
Part 2 of 4: Search the Internet
Step 1. Search the internet for quizzes to recognize autism
Quizzes like AQ and RAADS can help you figure out if you're on the spectrum. They cannot replace a professional diagnosis, but they are useful tools.
On the internet you can find professional questionnaires
Step 2. Reach out to organizations that are largely or wholly run by autistic people, such as the Autism Self-Advocacy Network and the Autism Women's Network
These agencies offer a much clearer overview of autism than those run by parents or relatives of autistic people. Autistic people understand their difficulties in life better than anyone and can give you the most valuable advice.
Avoid toxic and negative autism organizations. Some groups linked to this problem spread terrible bad things about autistics and promote pseudoscience. Autism Speaks is the prime example of an organization using catastrophic rhetoric. Look for organizations that offer a more balanced point of view and that give space to autistic voices instead of excluding them
Step 3. Read the works of autistic writers
Many autistic people love the blogosphere, where they can communicate freely. Many bloggers discuss autism symptoms and offer advice to people who don't know if they belong on the spectrum.
Step 4. Use social networks
You can find many autistic people using the hashtags #ActuallyAutistic and #AskAnAutistic. In general, the autistic community welcomes those who wonder if they are autistic or who have diagnosed themselves with the disorder.
Step 5. Start researching possible therapies
What therapies do autistics need? Do you think some of them can help you?
- Remember that all autistic people are different. A type of therapy that is useful for some may not be useful for you and vice versa.
- Be aware that some therapies, especially ABA, can be abused. Avoid those that seem punitive, cruel, or based on discipline. Your goal is to improve through therapy, not to become more obedient and easier to handle for other people.
Step 6. Research autism-like conditions
This disorder can be accompanied by sensory processing problems, anxiety (including OCD, general anxiety, and social anxiety), epilepsy, gastrointestinal disorders, depression, ADHD, sleep problems, and many other mental and physical illnesses. Check if you suffer from any of the problems mentioned.
- Is it possible that you have confused another condition with autism?
- Is it possible that you are autistic AND have another problem? Or even more than one?
Part 3 of 4: Addressing Your Prejudices
Step 1. Remember that autism is congenital and lasts a lifetime
It is a predominantly or fully genetic disorder that begins in the womb of the mother (although behavioral symptoms do not present until early childhood or later). People who are born autistic will always be. However, you have nothing to fear. The life of an autistic can improve with proper support and it is possible for adults to lead happy and rewarding lives.
- The most common myth about autism is that it is caused by vaccines, but this has been disproved by dozens of studies. This scam was devised by a single researcher who falsified data and hid a financial conflict of interest. His work was later refuted and the perpetrator lost his license for the crime.
- The increase in the rate of autism is not due to an increase in children being born autistic, but to the fact that the pathology is more easily recognized, particularly in girls and people of color.
- Autistic children become autistic adults. Reports of patients "recovering" from autism speak of people who have learned to hide their autistic traits (and may suffer from mental health problems as a result) or who have never been autistic.
Step 2. Keep in mind that autistics are not automatically devoid of empathy
They may have a hard time with the cognitive parts of empathy, while remaining kind and caring. Autistics may:
- Being perfectly capable of feeling empathy;
- Being very empathetic, but not always understanding social cues, so not understanding how others feel
- Don't be very empathetic, but still care about others and be good people;
- Wanting other people to stop talking about empathy.
Step 3. Recognize that people who have a catastrophic view of autism are wrong
Autism is not a disease, it is not a burden or a life-ruining problem. Many people with this disorder are able to lead productive, happy and profitable lives - they have written books, founded organizations, managed nationwide or global events, and have improved the world in many ways. Even those who cannot live alone or work can make the world better thanks to their love and kindness.
Step 4. Don't assume autistic people are lazy or rude on purpose
They have to work harder to conform to social expectations about education and in some cases they are wrong. They may figure it out and apologize on their own, or they may need someone's help to notice their mistake. Negative prejudices are a problem for those who have them, not for those who suffer from them.
Step 5. Understand that autism is an explanation, not an excuse
In many cases, when autism is mentioned after a disagreement, it is used as an explanation for the behavior of the autistic person, not as an attempt to avoid the consequences.
- For example: "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. I'm autistic and didn't understand that telling you you're fat was rude. I think you're beautiful and I got these flowers for you. Please accept my apologies."
- Usually, people who complain about autistics using their disorder as an excuse have either encountered a bad apple or are angry that autistics exist and have the right to speak out. This is a very unfair and destructive prejudice regarding this group of people. Don't let an episode affect your view of autistics in general.
Step 6. Give up the idea that self-stimulation is wrong
Stereotypies are a natural mechanism that helps you calm down, focus, prevent nervous breakdowns, and express your feelings. Stopping someone from exploiting it is dangerous and wrong. There are only a few cases where self-stimulation is a bad idea:
-
Causes Injury or Pain:
bumping your head, biting or hitting yourself are attitudes to be avoided. You can replace them with harmless stereotypes, like head shaking and biting rubber bracelets.
-
Violates another person's personal space:
for example, it is not a good idea to play with another person's hair without consent. Even if you are autistic, you need to respect the personal space of others.
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Prevents others from working:
in places where people work, such as schools, offices or libraries, you need to be quiet. If others are trying to focus, try to self-stimulate discreetly or move to a place where you can make noise.
Step 7. Stop viewing autism as a puzzle to be solved
People with this disorder are already complete. They add diversity and important perspectives to the world. There is nothing wrong with them.
Part 4 of 4: Consult with People You Know
Step 1. Ask your autistic friends for information
If you don't have any, this is a good chance to look for some. Explain that you think you may be autistic and that you were wondering if he has noticed any signs in your behavior. Your friend can ask you questions to better understand your experiences.
Step 2. Ask your parents or those who raised you about your development
Explain that you are curious about the early years of your childhood and ask when you have reached various developmental milestones. It is normal for an autistic child to develop late or not in the usual order.
- Ask if they have any videos from your childhood that you can watch. Look for examples of stereotypies and other signs of autism in children.
- Also consider milestones in the later years of childhood and adolescence, such as learning to swim, ride a bike, cook, clean the bathroom, do laundry, and drive.
Step 3. Show a close friend or relative an article about the signs of autism (like this one)
Explain that when you read it, you noticed a lot of behaviors that you do too. Ask if they see any similarities too. Autistic people have problems with self-awareness, so others may notice things that you have missed.
Remember that no one knows what's going on in your head. People don't see all the changes you make to seem more "normal" and consequently they don't notice that your brain works differently than theirs. Some autistics are able to make friends and interact with people without them noticing the disorder
Step 4. Talk to your family when you feel ready
Consider seeing a specialist to get a diagnosis. Many health insurances cover the costs of various therapies, such as occupational, sensory integration or speech. A good psychologist will help you improve your skills, so you can better adapt to the neurotypical world.
