Do I have Asperger's Syndrome?

[quarantinedonearth]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone here could help me out as to whether I might have Asperger's Syndrome.
My score on the AQ test (Aspergers Test Site) is 33.
I'm going to categorize my experiences with their relations to the basic symptoms of AS.
1. Social Skills
I suck at them. Throughout my life. Two anecdotes:
a. When I was in primary school, my father used to take me to the school bus and there was this guy who my father knew well (so he wasn't a creepy stranger) and who would say hi to me every morning as I was walking with my father. I would never talk to him. Because he was a stranger and I was anxious.
b. Again, when I was a kid, some guy offered food to me when I was with my mother and aunt. He offered it because I was just a little kid and he wanted to be nice. I didn't accept the food because I had been told not to accept food from strangers (I guess I was told that. I'm not sure right now) And when my mother made an excuse to the man for my behavior, I didn't understand why. After all, I was doing the right thing? She was being the irrational one; saying one thing and doing another.
When I was a kid, I would hate it when my mother let the guests' kids in my room. Whenever guests with kids were going to come, my father would take me out so that my mother could let the guests' kids into my room. I hated guests' kids because they would touch my toys, scatter them around. I actually fantasized crazy ways of killing those kids and once wrote a poem about how I hated them. My mother once said that one day, after the guests had gone, she put back my scattered barbie dolls where I had left them and I came back, I just noticed that they had been touched. (attention to detail is in play here).
I was ostracized in primary school. Had two close friends at different times but the relationships just didn't last.
I was an emo in high school and would cut myself, mostly because I whenever I liked someone, it remained unrequited and it was hard being unattractiv and unloved at the same time.
I'm 26 right now and I have only one friend whom I met online and never met in real life.

2. Strong Interests
Ever since I was child, I've had strong interests but they all came and passed. dressing dolls, different TV shows and their main characters (namely House Md, The Big Bang Theory, The Mentalist), animals (I was a vegetarian for a year when I was 14), psychology (this one I'm still interested in because I'm obsessively introspective), dream analysis, playing guitar, playing the drums, chess, mahjong, drinking (I'm a dipsomaniac) are the ones that I come to my mind right now.
Also, I've realized that I've always had a crush on someone. Maybe this was a coping strategy. Maybe I felt without a stable ground when I didn't obsess over some guy. Now that I'm older, I've put a end to this one.

3. Repetitive Behavior
I drink coffee. Or herbal tea. Or coke. Unless I've hyperfocused on the thing I'm engaged with on the computer, there is no single time I'm not drinking anything.
Other than this, there is nothing in particular that I can think of.

4. Self-Stimulatory Behavior
Sometimes I find myself rocking back and forth. I pick my face too. When I have repressed angrer, I pick my nails. sometimes to the point they bleed.

5. Mis/co-occuring Diagnoses
I've been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder by two different psychiatrists. One them said I also had bipolar traits.
I also have OCD.

6. Skills
I'm talented in foreign languages and music but not an expert in either because I lost interest after a while just like in my other interests.

7. Appearance
I'm a female and I don't understand why people care so much about what they wear or why other women wear make-up.

8. Sensory Issues
I have always hated noisy and crowded environments. When there are several conversations going on in a crowded room, I can't focus on one conversation. I hear them all at the same time and I don't understand a thing.
I'm bothered by fluorescent lights. I dim the lights of my computer and phone to the minimum unless there's daylight preventing me from seeing the contents on the screen.
I have misophonia. If someone is drinking or eating loudly, I run away. I'm disgusted by people who yawn loudly.
I love polar fleece fabric and similar soft fabrics. I loved a particular velvet table cloth when I was a kid.
I have a preference for a certain cereal brand. I eat it most days.
I love the taste of coffee.
I hate flashing LED lights.
I get anxious on crowded streets with millions of stimulants. But I like watching it from a balcony where I would be safe from all that chaos.
I work as a teacher and I'm going to quit my job because almost always there are people talking at the same time and it drives me crazy. I can deal with only one person at a time and if I had the chance, I would rather not deal with them at all. I'm going to quit also because the school is in a small village and everywhere is dirty and smell terrible. I can't stand the smell. and the crowd. and the noise. and people standing too close.
I have a personal space larger than other people. I feel uncomfortable when people stand too close to me. Also it can make me mad if someone coughs as I'm passing by them.

9. Miscellaneous
When I was obsessed with animals, I suffered a lot because I was aware that seals were clubbed to death by Canadians to make fur, the Chinese made fur with cats and dogs etc. Cosmetic products and drugs are being tested on animals. So I have empathy. I could recognize the pain of animals.
I hate it when people interrupt me while I'm doing something. I don't know why but I just get so angry when I'm focused on something and someone comes in and interacts with me.
I have been smoking for about 8 years.

I've been prescribed plenty of different medication. SSRIs, anti-psychotics, lithium, venlafaxine, diazepam etc. I quit them a few years ago when I was going through a psychotic/paranoid episode and haven't used any since then.

This has been very long, I know. If anyone has read this, I'm sorry I've wasted your time. I just want an answer.

 

[Gritches]

After reading that, it's my judgment that you probably have AS. I'll run through the reasons, front to back, with my items corresponding with the number of your items - because who doesn't like lists?

1) Social difficulties are a positive sign, but that can happen to NTs as well so it's not definitive, just a positive sign. What tipped me off was your perspective on these things - it's very Aspie, as well as how you followed rules you were taught rigidly and not intuitively understanding the nuances that would tell you when to take an exception to the rule. Very Aspie.

2) You say you're obsessively introspective. That's a positive sign; also not conclusive because NTs can be too, but it's another point in the "aspie" column.

3) Maybe. Doesn't jump out at me like the previous two items, though.

4) The rocking is most telling to me. It's a strange behavior to NTs so it's not really a NT thing, I'm betting you do it when you're stressed/upset/overwhelmed? The picking isn't as strong of an indicator for me, because that can be the result of any number of things endemic to NTs as well, but anecdotally I've heard quite a bit about Aspie females and picking behaviors. Not enough for me to call it conclusive though.

5) Out of everything you wrote, the BPD diagnosis is what stands out to me the most. As I'm betting you're aware (since you included it), AS is difficult to diagnose in females. A very common path among females to an AS diagnosis is a misdiagnosis of BPD; bipolar is a common misdiagnosis as well. Granted, those psychiatrists could be right, but with the totality of the evidence here I bet they're wrong.

6) Hm...picking up and dropping interests can be associated with AS, but the key would be how fervently you pursued those interests while you had them. If you were so engrossed in them you missed sleep, missed meals, etc that's a positive sign.

7) Doesn't jump out at me, NTs can be this way, too.

8) Most everything you listed here, yes. Most telling is that you're looking to quit your job because of the sensory issues; that tells me it's more than a nuisance to you, it's a full-on deal breaker. All very positive signs.

9) We are capable of empathy, it just works differently for us. Most telling here is how you hate being interrupted. This can describe a NT as well, but again, one more point in the "aspie" column.

I tried to be as fair and balanced as I could be in my assessment. By no means is it a professional opinion, but then again I find most professional opinions to be short-sighted, flippantly made, and made with a lack of knowledge about AS and an apparent poverty of desire to learn. So...yuh, hope that helps.

 

[quarantinedonearth]

Gritches, thank you so much for taking the time to read and answer. I really appreciate it. I had no one to tell these.
I forgot to mention my weird biorhythm. I tend to stay up all night and sleep till the afternoon or evening.
Again, thank you very much. I'm going to see a psychiatrist in summer.
Have a low-stimulatory nice day!

 

[xudo]

Maybe, maybe not. Ultimately nobody here can diagnose you. Is it possible for you to seek a diagnosis?

 

[quarantinedonearth]

Maybe, maybe not. Ultimately nobody here can diagnose you. Is it possible for you to seek a diagnosis?

Right now, I can't due to where I live. But in summer I will find a specialist to consult.
I wrote here because I assume most of you guys here are aspies and I thought if you relate, I may be one too. The thing about reading through checklists written by NTs is that how do I know what I have been doing all this time is different than most people when those things are normal to me. For example I'm not sure if I can't read body languagr because I'm usually anxious or uninterested while listening to someone. I can get the obvious ones (sad/angry/happy face) etc. But when it comes to subtle things, how do i know i dont get them when i dont know if they are there or not (if i dont get them). Or repeated behaviours, or changes in schedules... I'm really at a loss. I hope this makes sense.

 

[WereBear]

Why don't you just test the theory? Make decisions for a while based on what would be best for you if you were an Aspie. See how that works.

Bottom line, diagnosis or not, that is what will do you the most good. Figuring out life strategies.

 

[quarantinedonearth]

Why don't you just test the theory? Make decisions for a while based on what would be best for you if you were an Aspie. See how that works.

Bottom line, diagnosis or not, that is what will do you the most good. Figuring out life strategies.

Making decisions like how? Establishing a schedule and keeping to it? Could you elaborate a little please?

 

[WereBear]

When I discovered I had Asperger's Syndrome, I was able to make the following informed changes to my life:

• The parts of my job that require interacting with bunches of strangers needs to be cut down. I worked with my boss on that, to both our satisfaction.
• I no longer feel "wrong" about having to not show up at a friend's event. I have learned the signs I am doing too much, and getting overstressed, and now I listen to them. Upset tummy, visual distortions, or my own voice in my head repeating "Leave me alone!" are all things I recognize as my body trying to tell me I need to decompress.
• I have gotten serious about decompressing. I subscribe to podcasts because when I can do nothing else, I can listen to something interesting that has a short time span, unlike an audio book. I have downloaded the Brainwaves app for my iPad, and its various programs are very useful in stress reduction and better sleep.
• I have started niacin therapy, because I discovered it can do wonders for PTSD, which I now recognize I have. And it works for me.

I don't know exactly what will work for you; we all have to experiment to see how our version expresses itself, and how our environment can help or hinder us. But finding Aspie strategies, and seeing if they work for us or not, is an essential part of the process.

So just try some. We discuss this all over the site: explore.

 

[quarantinedonearth]

Thanks werebear. I don't attend any social events and run away from people any time i can during work hours, i repeatedly wash my hands when i'm stressed out, listen to the same song again ad again to calm down and delve into my current interest for hours so i already live like an aspie.
But I will try to be more aware of the signs my body sends when it's getting overstimulated (clenching jaw etc.) and how I act around people. Awareness is a hard but necessary thing when it comes to understanding oneself. Thanks for sharing your experiences with me

 

[xudo]

Right now, I can't due to where I live. But in summer I will find a specialist to consult.
I wrote here because I assume most of you guys here are aspies and I thought if you relate, I may be one too. The thing about reading through checklists written by NTs is that how do I know what I have been doing all this time is different than most people when those things are normal to me. For example I'm not sure if I can't read body languagr because I'm usually anxious or uninterested while listening to someone. I can get the obvious ones (sad/angry/happy face) etc. But when it comes to subtle things, how do i know i dont get them when i dont know if they are there or not (if i dont get them). Or repeated behaviours, or changes in schedules... I'm really at a loss. I hope this makes sense.

Yeah I can see what you mean, however all aspies are different. Some of us have little trouble reading emotions, some are clueless. Some are overly empathetic and emotional, some show very little to no emotion and have a hard time with empathising, or expressing it. What I mean is that even though we may be able to relate to things that you feel/experience, it doesn't necessarily mean anything if you see what I mean? I'm not trying to put you off or say that you're wrong, more that you can't necessarily expect that we will all get what you're feeling and experiencing in the same way so because of that I always prefer to suggest professional advice (which I realise you've said isn't a possibility for you at the moment) just so that people don't sort of read too much into stuff.

 

[ksheehan88]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone here could help me out as to whether I might have Asperger's Syndrome.
My score on the AQ test (Aspergers Test Site) is 33.
I'm going to categorize my experiences with their relations to the basic symptoms of AS.
1. Social Skills
I suck at them. Throughout my life. Two anecdotes:
a. When I was in primary school, my father used to take me to the school bus and there was this guy who my father knew well (so he wasn't a creepy stranger) and who would say hi to me every morning as I was walking with my father. I would never talk to him. Because he was a stranger and I was anxious.
b. Again, when I was a kid, some guy offered food to me when I was with my mother and aunt. He offered it because I was just a little kid and he wanted to be nice. I didn't accept the food because I had been told not to accept food from strangers (I guess I was told that. I'm not sure right now) And when my mother made an excuse to the man for my behavior, I didn't understand why. After all, I was doing the right thing? She was being the irrational one; saying one thing and doing another.
When I was a kid, I would hate it when my mother let the guests' kids in my room. Whenever guests with kids were going to come, my father would take me out so that my mother could let the guests' kids into my room. I hated guests' kids because they would touch my toys, scatter them around. I actually fantasized crazy ways of killing those kids and once wrote a poem about how I hated them. My mother once said that one day, after the guests had gone, she put back my scattered barbie dolls where I had left them and I came back, I just noticed that they had been touched. (attention to detail is in play here).
I was ostracized in primary school. Had two close friends at different times but the relationships just didn't last.
I was an emo in high school and would cut myself, mostly because I whenever I liked someone, it remained unrequited and it was hard being unattractiv and unloved at the same time.
I'm 26 right now and I have only one friend whom I met online and never met in real life.

2. Strong Interests
Ever since I was child, I've had strong interests but they all came and passed. dressing dolls, different TV shows and their main characters (namely House Md, The Big Bang Theory, The Mentalist), animals (I was a vegetarian for a year when I was 14), psychology (this one I'm still interested in because I'm obsessively introspective), dream analysis, playing guitar, playing the drums, chess, mahjong, drinking (I'm a dipsomaniac) are the ones that I come to my mind right now.
Also, I've realized that I've always had a crush on someone. Maybe this was a coping strategy. Maybe I felt without a stable ground when I didn't obsess over some guy. Now that I'm older, I've put a end to this one.

3. Repetitive Behavior
I drink coffee. Or herbal tea. Or coke. Unless I've hyperfocused on the thing I'm engaged with on the computer, there is no single time I'm not drinking anything.
Other than this, there is nothing in particular that I can think of.

4. Self-Stimulatory Behavior
Sometimes I find myself rocking back and forth. I pick my face too. When I have repressed angrer, I pick my nails. sometimes to the point they bleed.

5. Mis/co-occuring Diagnoses
I've been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder by two different psychiatrists. One them said I also had bipolar traits.
I also have OCD.

6. Skills
I'm talented in foreign languages and music but not an expert in either because I lost interest after a while just like in my other interests.

7. Appearance
I'm a female and I don't understand why people care so much about what they wear or why other women wear make-up.

8. Sensory Issues
I have always hated noisy and crowded environments. When there are several conversations going on in a crowded room, I can't focus on one conversation. I hear them all at the same time and I don't understand a thing.
I'm bothered by fluorescent lights. I dim the lights of my computer and phone to the minimum unless there's daylight preventing me from seeing the contents on the screen.
I have misophonia. If someone is drinking or eating loudly, I run away. I'm disgusted by people who yawn loudly.
I love polar fleece fabric and similar soft fabrics. I loved a particular velvet table cloth when I was a kid.
I have a preference for a certain cereal brand. I eat it most days.
I love the taste of coffee.
I hate flashing LED lights.
I get anxious on crowded streets with millions of stimulants. But I like watching it from a balcony where I would be safe from all that chaos.
I work as a teacher and I'm going to quit my job because almost always there are people talking at the same time and it drives me crazy. I can deal with only one person at a time and if I had the chance, I would rather not deal with them at all. I'm going to quit also because the school is in a small village and everywhere is dirty and smell terrible. I can't stand the smell. and the crowd. and the noise. and people standing too close.
I have a personal space larger than other people. I feel uncomfortable when people stand too close to me. Also it can make me mad if someone coughs as I'm passing by them.

9. Miscellaneous
When I was obsessed with animals, I suffered a lot because I was aware that seals were clubbed to death by Canadians to make fur, the Chinese made fur with cats and dogs etc. Cosmetic products and drugs are being tested on animals. So I have empathy. I could recognize the pain of animals.
I hate it when people interrupt me while I'm doing something. I don't know why but I just get so angry when I'm focused on something and someone comes in and interacts with me.
I have been smoking for about 8 years.

I've been prescribed plenty of different medication. SSRIs, anti-psychotics, lithium, venlafaxine, diazepam etc. I quit them a few years ago when I was going through a psychotic/paranoid episode and haven't used any since then.

This has been very long, I know. If anyone has read this, I'm sorry I've wasted your time. I just want an answer.

All the things I've put in bold are the things I relate to. I agree with @Gritches , I'm pretty sure your self-diagnosis is correct.

You've come to the right place

 

[quarantinedonearth]

Thanks ksheehan88 it's actually relieving to hear (read) this. Eliminates the feeling of aloneness too via being part of a well-defined group.

 

[Southern Discomfort]

Another one diagnosed with Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder and OCD! Interesting. Welcome!

It is said that doctors and therapists quite often miss the signs of autism because they don't know enough about how it affects girls. Autistic routines, rituals and obsessions can look like OCD.

Have a seat.

 

[quarantinedonearth]

Another one diagnosed with Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder and OCD! Interesting. Welcome!

It is said that doctors and therapists quite often miss the signs of autism because they don't know enough about how it affects girls. Autistic routines, rituals and obsessions can look like OCD.

Have a seat.

View attachment 33815

I remember how my "OCD" started. I was between the ages of 4-12 and I saw the single red light of the dishwasher in the dark kitchen the door of which was open as I was sitting in the living room with my family in the evening. I was terrified of aliens when I was a kid and instantly I associated that little red light with aliens and felt really scared about my parents dying (i cant define the content of the fear exactly but it was something like this). Then I repeatedly looked at my father, then my mother, again and again until my father snapped and said something that was hurtful to me about my obsessively looking at him and my mother. It was as if I was checking if they were still there. After this, other compulsions (including only mental ones too) followed for years. I still wash my hands too many times, that's the most visible ritual I've got. I don't really know what the difference between OCD and autistic rituals are.
Thanks, southern discomfort. That gif is particularly funny considering the context
Oh, I want to share something else with you guys. I'm interested in dream analysis and last night (technically, morning) when i went to bed after lots of reading I thought "let's see what dream i will have that will give me some explanations about my possible AS". And the dream goes like this: I'm on this land on which there is nothing but soil. No plants, no buildings, nothing. The territory is surrounded with wire, the wires mark the borders. I'm alone by the border but there are some other people not too far from me within the territory. I cant see what's on the other side of the border. Some authorities tell me to go in the direction where the other people are. So it was like I was lost on this territory, and when I was standing by the border/the wires, some vague people told me to go where the other vague people were going as if that was the right direction. There was also a dog but I don't remember anything about it. Any interpretations are more than welcome

 

[Grandmother B]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone here could help me out as to whether I might have Asperger's Syndrome.
My score on the AQ test (Aspergers Test Site) is 33.
I'm going to categorize my experiences with their relations to the basic symptoms of AS.
1. Social Skills
I suck at them. Throughout my life. Two anecdotes:
a. When I was in primary school, my father used to take me to the school bus and there was this guy who my father knew well (so he wasn't a creepy stranger) and who would say hi to me every morning as I was walking with my father. I would never talk to him. Because he was a stranger and I was anxious.
b. Again, when I was a kid, some guy offered food to me when I was with my mother and aunt. He offered it because I was just a little kid and he wanted to be nice. I didn't accept the food because I had been told not to accept food from strangers (I guess I was told that. I'm not sure right now) And when my mother made an excuse to the man for my behavior, I didn't understand why. After all, I was doing the right thing? She was being the irrational one; saying one thing and doing another.
When I was a kid, I would hate it when my mother let the guests' kids in my room. Whenever guests with kids were going to come, my father would take me out so that my mother could let the guests' kids into my room. I hated guests' kids because they would touch my toys, scatter them around. I actually fantasized crazy ways of killing those kids and once wrote a poem about how I hated them. My mother once said that one day, after the guests had gone, she put back my scattered barbie dolls where I had left them and I came back, I just noticed that they had been touched. (attention to detail is in play here).
I was ostracized in primary school. Had two close friends at different times but the relationships just didn't last.
I was an emo in high school and would cut myself, mostly because I whenever I liked someone, it remained unrequited and it was hard being unattractiv and unloved at the same time.
I'm 26 right now and I have only one friend whom I met online and never met in real life.

2. Strong Interests
Ever since I was child, I've had strong interests but they all came and passed. dressing dolls, different TV shows and their main characters (namely House Md, The Big Bang Theory, The Mentalist), animals (I was a vegetarian for a year when I was 14), psychology (this one I'm still interested in because I'm obsessively introspective), dream analysis, playing guitar, playing the drums, chess, mahjong, drinking (I'm a dipsomaniac) are the ones that I come to my mind right now.
Also, I've realized that I've always had a crush on someone. Maybe this was a coping strategy. Maybe I felt without a stable ground when I didn't obsess over some guy. Now that I'm older, I've put a end to this one.

3. Repetitive Behavior
I drink coffee. Or herbal tea. Or coke. Unless I've hyperfocused on the thing I'm engaged with on the computer, there is no single time I'm not drinking anything.
Other than this, there is nothing in particular that I can think of.

4. Self-Stimulatory Behavior
Sometimes I find myself rocking back and forth. I pick my face too. When I have repressed angrer, I pick my nails. sometimes to the point they bleed.

5. Mis/co-occuring Diagnoses
I've been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder by two different psychiatrists. One them said I also had bipolar traits.
I also have OCD.

6. Skills
I'm talented in foreign languages and music but not an expert in either because I lost interest after a while just like in my other interests.

7. Appearance
I'm a female and I don't understand why people care so much about what they wear or why other women wear make-up.

8. Sensory Issues
I have always hated noisy and crowded environments. When there are several conversations going on in a crowded room, I can't focus on one conversation. I hear them all at the same time and I don't understand a thing.
I'm bothered by fluorescent lights. I dim the lights of my computer and phone to the minimum unless there's daylight preventing me from seeing the contents on the screen.
I have misophonia. If someone is drinking or eating loudly, I run away. I'm disgusted by people who yawn loudly.
I love polar fleece fabric and similar soft fabrics. I loved a particular velvet table cloth when I was a kid.
I have a preference for a certain cereal brand. I eat it most days.
I love the taste of coffee.
I hate flashing LED lights.
I get anxious on crowded streets with millions of stimulants. But I like watching it from a balcony where I would be safe from all that chaos.
I work as a teacher and I'm going to quit my job because almost always there are people talking at the same time and it drives me crazy. I can deal with only one person at a time and if I had the chance, I would rather not deal with them at all. I'm going to quit also because the school is in a small village and everywhere is dirty and smell terrible. I can't stand the smell. and the crowd. and the noise. and people standing too close.
I have a personal space larger than other people. I feel uncomfortable when people stand too close to me. Also it can make me mad if someone coughs as I'm passing by them.

9. Miscellaneous
When I was obsessed with animals, I suffered a lot because I was aware that seals were clubbed to death by Canadians to make fur, the Chinese made fur with cats and dogs etc. Cosmetic products and drugs are being tested on animals. So I have empathy. I could recognize the pain of animals.
I hate it when people interrupt me while I'm doing something. I don't know why but I just get so angry when I'm focused on something and someone comes in and interacts with me.
I have been smoking for about 8 years.

I've been prescribed plenty of different medication. SSRIs, anti-psychotics, lithium, venlafaxine, diazepam etc. I quit them a few years ago when I was going through a psychotic/paranoid episode and haven't used any since then.

This has been very long, I know. If anyone has read this, I'm sorry I've wasted your time. I just want an answer.

You would probably do well to go to a pneuropsychologist for a concrete diagnosis, as far as the Asperger's. You seem to have other issues which don't necessarily have to do with autism (self harm, etc.) I wish the best to you in getting treatment which will help!

 

[Judge]

Let's just say that IMO you have good reason to pursue this personal quest in determining who- and what you are. And that this forum serves as an excellent catalyst to explore such things through interacting with others on the spectrum to give you that much more perspective than what a few online tests may offer.

Welcome to AC.

 

[Southern Discomfort]

I remember how my "OCD" started. I was between the ages of 4-12 and I saw the single red light of the dishwasher in the dark kitchen the door of which was open as I was sitting in the living room with my family in the evening. I was terrified of aliens when I was a kid and instantly I associated that little red light with aliens and felt really scared about my parents dying (i cant define the content of the fear exactly but it was something like this). Then I repeatedly looked at my father, then my mother, again and again until my father snapped and said something that was hurtful to me about my obsessively looking at him and my mother. It was as if I was checking if they were still there. After this, other compulsions (including only mental ones too) followed for years. I still wash my hands too many times, that's the most visible ritual I've got. I don't really know what the difference between OCD and autistic rituals are.

Hmm, that I think sounds more OCD-like. But don't quote me on that. OCD is an anxiety disorder, the anxiety is underlying the obsessions and compulsive behaviour. In other words, you obsess because you worry - these intrusive thoughts, you do rituals, avoid things and the like to try to get rid of the worries.

Autism 'obsessive, compulsive behaviours' can have anxiety attached to them but this is because of the uncertainty of what will happen next - something unpredictable might happen and they won't be ready for it. And some might stim in order to cope. That might be humming, rocking, hitting oneself to name a few well known stereotypies.

That being said though, the stereotypies of OCD that the public think of like being ordered can be autistic behaviours. Again, this comes back to routine. Having a body of knowledge like photography, a certain period of history or a fascination of Steam-Punk might also look like Obsessive Compulsive Behaviours but they actually come from a place of interest and happiness, not one of anxiety and fear.

 

[Southern Discomfort]

But autism and OCD can run alongside each other.