Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 4: Taking into account the general characteristics
• Part 2 of 4: Doing research on the internet
• Part 3 of 4: Challenging misconceptions
• Part 4 of 4: Consult people you know
• Tips
• Warnings

Autism is an innate, lifelong disability that affects different people in different ways. Although toddlers are sometimes diagnosed with autism, the signs are not immediately apparent or understood. This means that some autistic people go undiagnosed until adolescence or adulthood. If you have often felt different but never understood why, then it is possible that you fall within the autistic spectrum.

To step

Part 1 of 4: Taking into account the general characteristics

1. Think about how you respond to social cues. Autistic people have a hard time understanding subtle social cues. This can make a variety of social situations difficult, from making friends to getting along with colleagues. Ask yourself if you've experienced these kinds of things:
   • Having trouble understanding how someone else is feeling (e.g. wondering if someone is too sleepy to talk or not).
   • Being told that your behavior was inappropriate, clumsy, strange, or rude
   • Not realizing that someone is tired of talking and wants to do something else
   • Often confused by other people's behavior
   • Having trouble making eye contact with others
2. Ask yourself if you have trouble understanding other people's thoughts. While autistic people may feel empathy and concern for others, "cognitive empathy" (the ability to find out what other people are thinking based on social cues such as tone of voice, body language, or facial expression) is usually limited. Autistic people often struggle to understand the subtleties of others' thoughts, and this can lead to misunderstandings. They usually depend on other people to get things straight.
   • Autistic people may have a hard time understanding what someone's opinion of something is.
   • Detecting sarcasm and lies can be difficult because autistic people may not realize when someone's thoughts are different from what they are expressing.
   • Autistic people don't always pick up on non-verbal hints.
   • In extreme cases, autistic people have extreme difficulties with "social imagination" and cannot understand that other people have ideas that differ from theirs ("theory of mind").
3. Think about how you respond to unexpected events. Autistic people often rely on trusted routines to feel stable and safe. Planned changes in routine, unknown new events, and sudden changes in plans can upset autistic people.If you are autistic you may experience things like:
   • Feeling insecure, afraid, or angry about sudden changes in a schedule
   • Forgetting to do important things (like eat or take medication) without a schedule to help you remember
   • Getting panicky when things don't happen when they're supposed to happen
4. Watch yourself to see if you are stimulating. Stimulating, or self-stimulating behavior, is like fidgeting, and it is a type of repetitive movement to calm yourself, to focus, to express emotions, to communicate, and to deal with difficult situations. Although everyone does this to some degree, it is especially important and occurs frequently in autistic people. If you haven't been diagnosed yet, this behavior may be subtle. You may also have unlearned certain childhood repetitive behaviors if they were criticized.
   • Flapping or clapping with your hands
   • Cradles
   • Hugging yourself tight, squeezing your hands, or stacking heavy blankets on yourself
   • Tapping with your toes, pencils, fingers, etc.
   • Bumping into things for fun
   • Play with your hair
   • Polar bears, run or jump
   • Watch bright lights, intense colors, or moving GIFs
   • Sing, hum, or listen to a song repeatedly
   • Smell of soaps or perfumes
5. Determine any sensory issues. Many autistic people have sensory processing disorder (also known as sensory integration disorder), which means that the brain is too sensitive, or not sensitive enough, to some sensory input. You may find that some of your senses are more sensitive, while others may be dulled. Here are some examples:
   • Sight - Being overwhelmed by bright colors or moving objects, not noticing things like road signs, getting mesmerized by the sight of crowds.
   • Hearing Covering the ears or hiding from loud noises such as vacuum cleaners and crowded places, not noticing when people are talking to you, missing things people say
   • SmellBothering or getting sick of smells that don't bother others, not noticing important smells like gasoline, loving strong smells, and buying the strongest smelling soaps and foods available.
   • Taste - Preferably only want to eat boring or "children's food", extremely spicy and tasty food with an aversion to anything that tastes flat, or an aversion to unfamiliar food.
   • Sense of touch - Being bothered by certain fabrics or clothing labels, not noticing when people touch you lightly or getting hurt, or constantly wanting to touch everything.
   • Balance - Getting dizzy or sick in cars or on swing sets, or constantly running around and climbing things.
   • Proprioceptive - Having persistent uncomfortable sensations in your bones and organs, bumping into things, or not noticing when you are hungry or tired.
6. Consider whether you are experiencing a meltdown or a shutdown. Meltdowns, a fight-or-paralyze response that can be confused with tantrums in childhood, are explosions of emotion that occur when an autistic person can no longer hold back pent-up stress. Shutdowns are similar in cause, but the autistic person in this case becomes passive and may lose skills (such as speaking).
   • You can see yourself as sensitive, short-tempered or immature.
7. Consider your executive position. The executive function is the ability to stay organized, manage time and make the transition smooth. Autistic people often struggle with this skill and may need to use special strategies (such as rigid schedules) to adapt. Symptoms of executive dysfunction can include:
   • Not remembering things (e.g. homework assignments, conversations)
   • Forgetting about self-care activities (eating, bathing, brushing hair / teeth)
   • Losing things
   • Procrastinate and struggle with time management
   • Have difficulty starting a task and changing pace in performing it
   • Finding it difficult to keep your living space clean
8. Think about your passions. Autistic people often have intense and unusual passions, which are special interests are called. Examples include fire trucks, dogs, quantum physics, autism, a favorite TV show, and fiction writing. Special interests are remarkable in their intensity, and finding a new special interest can feel like falling in love. Here are some signs that your passion is unusually strong:
   • Talking incessantly about your special interest and wanting to share it with others.
   • Being able to focus on your passion for hours on end; losing track of time.
   • Organizing information such as charts, tables and spreadsheets for fun.
   • Be able to write long and talk in detail about your interest, all by heart, maybe even with quotes.
   • Feeling of excitement and bliss from enjoying your interest.
   • Correcting people who have knowledge of the subject.
   • Being afraid to talk about your interest for fear that you will annoy people.
9. Think about how easy it is for you to talk and process speech. Autism is often associated with difficulties related to spoken language, the extent of which varies greatly from person to person. If you are autistic you may experience:
   • Learn to speak at a later age (or not at all).
   • Difficulty speaking or loss of the ability to speak when overwhelmed.
   • Can't get out of your words.
   • Long pauses in conversations so you can think.
   • Avoiding difficult conversations because you're not sure you can express yourself.
   • Struggling to understand speech when acoustics are different, such as in an auditorium or while watching a movie without subtitles.
   • Not withholding spoken information, especially longer lists.
   • Need extra time to process speech (eg, not responding in time to commands such as "Catch!").
10. Watch the literal thinking. Although autistic people are capable of abstract thinking, they tend to think literally by nature. Sometimes this is very subtle, especially when the autistic person has developed solutions and / or loved ones have learned to deal with them. Here are some of the ways that literal thinking can present itself:
    • Don't pick up on sarcasm or exaggeration, or be confused when others aren't.
    • Misunderstood imagery, such as thinking that "to finish" means "to make something rounder" while the speaker meant "I want you to finish".
    • Don't pick up on underlying thoughts, like when "I don't know if I have enough money" actually means "you can pay for our lunch."
    • Making literal jokes for the entertainment of others, such as hitting things when it is said, "This beats everything."
11. Examine your appearance. A study has shown that autistic children have distinct facial features: a broad forehead, large, wide eyes, a short nose / cheeks and a wide mouth, in other words, a bit of a "baby face". You may look younger than your age or be told you look attractive / cute.
    • Not every autistic child has all of these facial features. You may only have a few.
    • Airway abnormalities (double branching of the bronchi) have also been found in autistic people. The lungs of the autists are completely normal, up to the double branch at the end of the trachea.

Part 2 of 4: Doing research on the internet

1. Search online for autism tests. Tests such as the AQ and RAADS can give you an idea of ​​whether you are on the spectrum. They are not a substitute for a professional diagnosis, but they are a useful tool.
   • There are some professional questionnaires available online.

   Tip: Keep in mind that online questionnaires are not true diagnostic tools. They are there to help you figure out whether it is worth making an appointment for further investigation. Keep in mind that even if your experiences are unusual, it doesn't mean you are autistic. There may be something or nothing going on.)

   
   
2. Turn to autism-friendly organizations. A truly autism-friendly organization is usually run in whole or in part by autistic people, such as the "Autistic Self-Advocacy Network" and the "Autistic Women and Nonbinary Network". These organizations provide a much clearer picture of autism than organizations run exclusively by parents or family members. Autistic people understand their own lives best and can offer the most insights.
   • Avoid toxic and negative autism organizations. Some autism-related groups say terrible things about autistic people, and can spit out pseudoscience. "Autism Speaks" is a prominent example of an organization using disaster rhetoric. Look for organizations that offer a more balanced viewpoint and that amplify autistic voices rather than exclude them.
3. Read the work of autistic writers. Many autistic people like to blog because it allows them to communicate freely. Many bloggers discuss signs of autism and offer advice to people wondering if they might be on the spectrum.
4. Make use of social networks. Many autistic people can be found under hashtags such as #ActuallyAutistic and #AskingAutistics. In general, the autistic community is very hospitable to people who wonder if they are, or think they are, autistic.
5. Start researching therapies. What types of therapies do autistic people sometimes need? Does it sound like any of the therapies could help you? Find out which therapies are scientifically supported.
   • Remember that every autistic person is different. A therapy that is helpful to someone else may not be helpful to you, and a therapy that someone else does not find useful may help you.
   • Be careful, scammers often target autists and their families with fake therapies to rip off your money or even cause harm. Some therapies, especially ABA, may employ cruel methods or aim to train you to "act normally" instead of helping you be healthy and happy.
6. Investigate similar circumstances. Many people with autism have additional conditions that can benefit from treatment. It's also possible to confuse another condition with autism.
   • Autism can be associated with sensory processing disorders, anxiety disorders, depression, epilepsy, gastrointestinal complaints, ADHD, sleep disorders and other conditions.
   • Autism can be confused with conditions such as sensory processing disorder, ADHD, social anxiety, schizoid personality disorder, complex PTSD, reactive attachment disorder, and selective mutism.

Part 3 of 4: Challenging misconceptions

1. Keep in mind that autism is innate and lifelong. Autism is partially or wholly genetic, and may begin in the womb (although behavioral signs do not become apparent until toddlerhood or later). People are born autistic and will always be autistic. However, this is nothing to fear. Autistic people's lives can improve with the right support, and it is possible for autistic adults to live happy, fulfilling lives.
   • The most popular myth about the causes of autism is that vaccines cause autism, which has been refuted by more than a dozen studies. This false idea was helped out by a single researcher who falsified data and hid financial conflicts of interest. His work has since been thoroughly debunked and he has lost his license due to malpractice.
   • The reported rates of autism are not increasing because more autistic people are being born. Experts are getting better at recognizing autism, especially in girls and people of color (which have been historically overlooked).
   • Autistic children become autistic adults. Stories of people "recovering" from autism include either people who have learned to hide their autistic traits (and therefore may have mental health problems) or people who were not actually autistic.
2. Realize that autistic people are not automatically devoid of empathy. Autistic people can struggle with the cognitive parts of empathy, while still being deeply caring and kind. While autistic people may not understand a person's feelings, they generally experience average amounts of emotional empathy and above-average amounts of distress when they see someone upset.
   • Autistic people can have a strong desire to help people, especially with concrete means such as organizing or giving the things they need. For example, an autistic person may be quick to offer tissues and a comforting item when he sees someone crying.
   • Some autistic people experience an intense affective (emotional) empathy, sometimes to the point that it is painful.
   • Experiences of empathy can vary with the presence of alexithymia, a condition that affects a person's emotional understanding.

   Did you know?. Many autistic people's experience with empathy can be summed up as "I may not understand what you are thinking, but I care about you and I can't bear to see you upset".

   
   
3. Don't assume that autistic people are lazy or willfully rude. Autistic people have to try harder to live up to many social expectations of politeness. Sometimes they fail. They may realize that and apologize, or need someone to tell them they went wrong. Negative assumptions are the responsibility of the person making them, not the autistic person.
   • Instead of thinking "around the corner", autistic people don't see the corner at all. So they may not understand what is expected in social situations. This can lead to a lot of guesswork.
   • Some everyday situations can be uncomfortable or overwhelming for autistic people. This can make socializing more difficult. In this case, it is not someone who has to change, but the environment.
4. Realize that autism is an explanation, not an excuse, for inappropriate behavior. Most times autism is brought up after a disagreement, it is as an explanation of the autistic person's behavior, not an attempt to escape the consequences.
   • For example, an autistic person might say "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. I didn't mean to imply that you are not intelligent. Sometimes I have trouble finding words that correspond to what I really think. I respect you and my words did not match my thoughts. "
   • Normally, when people complain about autistic people using it as "an excuse" they have either met a bad person or are angry about autistic people showing signs of their disability. This is neither helpful nor friendly.
5. Don't believe the myths about autism and violence. While media speculation has sometimes blamed autism for violent or harmful behavior, the reality is that the vast majority of autistic people are nonviolent. In fact, a diagnosis of autism is associated with less than average violent behavior in childhood and adult years.
   • When autistic children lash out, it is usually in response to a provocation. However, they are less likely to initiate violence than non-autistic children.
   • The average autistic person is unlikely to hurt anyone and would likely be very upset if they did it accidentally.
6. Don't think there's anything wrong with stimulating. Stimulation is a natural mechanism that aids in self-calming, concentration, collapse prevention, and the expression of feelings. Counteracting stimulation is harmful and wrong. There are only a few possible cases where stimulation is a bad idea:
   • It causes physical injury or pain. Bumping with your head, biting or hitting oneself are all harmful things. These can be replaced with a harmless stimulus, such as light shaking of the head and biting on chew bracelets.
   • It violates someone's personal space. For example, playing with someone else's hair without their permission is a bad idea. Autistic or not, people should respect the personal space of others.
   • It hinders people in their work. It is good to be quiet in places where people work, such as schools, offices and libraries. When people are trying to concentrate, it is good to use subtle stimulation, or to move to a place where silence is not necessary.
7. Know that people who are dramatic about autism are wrong. Autism is not a disease, not a burden, and not a life-threatening condition. Many autistic people are capable of living valuable, productive, and happy lives. Autistic people have written books, founded organizations, organized national or global events, and improved the world in many different ways. Even those who cannot live or work on their own can still improve the world through their kindness and love.
   • Some organizations use negative doomsday scenarios as a way to raise more money. Don't let them fool you.
8. Stop seeing autism as a problem that can be solved. Autistic people are already complete. They add diversity and meaningful perspectives to the world. There is nothing wrong with who they are.

Part 4 of 4: Consult people you know

1. Ask any autistic friends about it. (If you don't have autistic friends, who knows you might get to know such a person). Explain that you think you may be autistic and wonder if they have seen any signs of autism in you. They can ask you questions to better understand your experiences.
2. Ask your parents or guardians about your developmental milestones. Explain that you are curious about your early childhood and ask when you took various development steps.It is normal for autistic children to reach developmental steps somewhat later or irregularly.
   • See if there are any childhood videos you could watch. Watch for repetitive behaviors and other signs of autism in children.
   • Also consider late childhood and teenage milestones, such as learning to swim, ride a bike, cook, clean a bathroom, do laundry, and drive a car.
3. Show a close friend or family member an article about signs of autism (like this one). Explain that when you read it, it reminds you of yourself. Ask if they also see similarities.
   • They may be able to point out things you didn't know about yourself.
   • Know that no one understands what's going on in your head. They don't see all the adjustments you may be making to appear more "normal," so they may not realize that your brain works differently. Some autistic people can make friends and interact with people without anyone realizing they are autistic.
4. Talk to your family when you think you are ready. Consider seeing a specialist to make the diagnosis. Many health insurance plans cover a variety of therapies such as speech, occupational, and sensory integration therapy. A good therapist can help you improve your skills to best adapt to a neurotypic world.

Tips

• Do not forget that you are a positive and important person whether you are autistic or not. Autism and personality are not mutually exclusive.

Warnings

• Do not consult anti-autism organizations. These websites are imprecise at best and inhumane at worst. In general, be critical of websites that push for a cure, place heavy bets on person-first language, mourn "ruined" families, or portray autism as the enemy. These are neither friendly nor accurate.