I have questions

[Patrick Bushdiecker]

Am I doing this right? I have been told I am autistic. I have always struggled in life.
Am I autistic? How do I use this site to talk to other people?

 

[tree]

 

[Nitro]

 

[VictorR]

Welcome!

There's a chat feature (there's a link to the chat at the top of the page when logged in), but most members here interact via forum posts.

You can start a thread of your own, as you have here, or go in to any thread you wish and post there.

Note that members do come and go, and some things change over time and so if you find a thread that seems interesting, but it's old, you may wish to start a new thread instead.

 

[tree]

It's completely OK to revive an existing thread, however,
if it is on a topic that interests you.

This forum has a long *attention span* compared with
some sites I've seen (the ones that figure 3 weeks and
the topic is "old" and 'attempting' to discuss the topic
is referred to as necro-ing.)

 

[Rodafina]

Hello and welcome. You are talking to us now! Take your time settling in, there are many ways to participate in the forum. I would suggest reading as much as you can so you can see where some of what you have always struggled with aligns with what people have shared here.

For many of us, relating so closely to what people have shared on this forum was the strongest confirmation of autism. There is so much to learn here.

 

[DaisyRose]

Hello, it’s nice to meet you. I was asking myself that question as well a year ago. My curiosity made me get up and find a place to get diagnosed. Turns out, I was on the spectrum and I didn’t know till I was an adult. I wanted to ask if you have considered getting tested. A formal diagnosis can help answer your questions and make you understand yourself a bit more.

I have struggled as well. When I was born I was delayed in every aspect of my life. It was really hard to catch on like everyone else. I still struggle with it, but I am more nicer to myself. I can’t beat myself up for something I can’t control. I understand where you are coming from. There are a lot of nice people on here who are willing to help you out, including myself! I hope you find the answers you are looking for and are able to make some friends along the way.

 

[Patrick Bushdiecker]

Welcome!

There's a chat feature (there's a link to the chat at the top of the page when logged in), but most members here interact via forum posts.

You can start a thread of your own, as you have here, or go in to any thread you wish and post there.

Note that members do come and go, and some things change over time and so if you find a thread that seems interesting, but it's old, you may wish to start a new thread instead.

How do I start a thread again?

 

[tree]

How do I start a thread again?

What do you mean "again"?

If you mean you want to make a new thread, on some topic,
select which area you want your thread to be in.

Like.....Pets, or Outdoors, or Relationships....etc.

That would be the first step.

 

[Patrick Bushdiecker]

Hello, it’s nice to meet you. I was asking myself that question as well a year ago. My curiosity made me get up and find a place to get diagnosed. Turns out, I was on the spectrum and I didn’t know till I was an adult. I wanted to ask if you have considered getting tested. A formal diagnosis can help answer your questions and make you understand yourself a bit more.

I have struggled as well. When I was born I was delayed in every aspect of my life. It was really hard to catch on like everyone else. I still struggle with it, but I am more nicer to myself. I can’t beat myself up for something I can’t control. I understand where you are coming from. There are a lot of nice people on here who are willing to help you out, including myself! I hope you find the answers you are looking for and are able to make some friends along the way.

Thank you. I am working on getting screened and or diagnosed. As soon as I was told I might be autistic, I started watching videos on YouTube and taking quizzes. I scored very high for example 9 out of 10, and 181 when you only need 65 points and above. They all say there is a strong possibility, and I read the comments on the YouTube videos I watched.

Now I am becoming aware of my own behaviors that I didn't ever consider. Today at work I was Feeling overwhelmed but trying to keep working and calm myself down. Manager was standing behind me at a distance, but I still did not like the fact of someone standing behind me and watching. He kept telling me to smile and didn't want to. I was very frustrated and just trying to do my job and not freak out. He asked me what's wrong and I didn't feel like talking. All I could do is shake my head no. Then he starts asking me why I'm not saying anything.then he said just be yourself and I said I am. But it took a lot of effort just to say that. Then he noticed I was doing something strange with my hands I guess, because he said what's the matter did you burn yourself? I work on a Hot grill, but no, I did not burn myself.

When I got there in the morning, all the tools and utensils I work with were not in the right place, and I couldn't start even though they needed food cooked, until everything was in its right place according to how I like to have it organized. People often will tell me "don't overthink it" because apparently they can easily adapt to changes or something. I learned yesterday this is called catastrophizing.

I add verbal sound effects to things or actions that I do all the time. I copy and mimic sounds or phrases that people say. Somebody told me to toss something, meaning throw it in the trash, but my first thought was to throw it across the room. Another person yelled how "long on fries", and I immediately started thinking what they average length of a french fry is. About 3 or 4 inches?

I am bothered by certain sounds that don't seem to bother most people. Loud unexpected noises. People don't know when I'm joking, because of how I say it, not necessarily what the words are. I think it has to do with my tone of voice.

Twice today I didn't understand somebody was using sarcasm and I thought they were being mean or threatening. I remember practicing facial expressions in the mirror when I was younger, and still practice tone of voice before talking to people on the phone to "get in character" to appeal normal or "happy sounding".

I definitely listen to the same songs and artist over and over and am reluctant to check out new music or movies or TV and also quote movie lines from the few favorites that I have. I don't like eye contact. Rocking, finger stimming like I'm practicing scales on the guitar, (hand flapping, but never where anybody else could see me, only when I'm alone.) Maybe it's because I hate being around people, and I am happy to finally be alone.

People have also said I am being a smart-ass when I didn't mean to be. They're angry when they say this, at me for some reason. Im just trying to speak to them. This in turn makes me angry, and I show them what an actual smart-ass would be by saying "I'd rather be a smart-ass than a dumbass!" I see a lot of things that they do that don't make sense to me. They appear less intelligent. Sometimes they will say things like, I know you are intelligent, you are a grown man, how old are you? Why are you acting like a little kid. I never knew I was acting. I just tried to be myself like people always tell me to do. It's like no matter what I do, it's always wrong to them. I get mad because I tried my best and so I say maybe I will just stop doing anything so nobody can criticize me.

Do you think I'm autistic? I'm having trouble accepting "that" because I don't know 100%. What do you think?

 

[DaisyRose]

I think you could be. Everyone had their own types of stims and behaviors they do. Not every autistic person has the same thing. I’m glad you are seeking a diagnosis because those really help. I have to have certain things in the right place too. I have my desk and all my items have to be in the exact place, or I will not focus. I like to hum and rock my body back and forth as my top stims. Flapping my arms around is another one. They help me calm down in uncomfortable and stressful situations. I do repeat phrases like “hello” and “I love you” more than I can count. I usually say those to my mom, which she Is very understanding of. She knows I can’t control it.

 

[Patrick Bushdiecker]

I think you could be. Everyone had their own types of stims and behaviors they do. Not every autistic person has the same thing. I’m glad you are seeking a diagnosis because those really help. I have to have certain things in the right place too. I have my desk and all my items have to be in the exact place, or I will not focus. I like to hum and rock my body back and forth as my top stims. Flapping my arms around is another one. They help me calm down in uncomfortable and stressful situations. I do repeat phrases like “hello” and “I love you” more than I can count. I usually say those to my mom, which she Is very understanding of. She knows I can’t control it.

It gives me a feeling of happiness and relief hearing your response. These are all things I deal with everyday. Somebody on Facebook just told me, "your not autistic, your just eccentric." Honestly I don't know what I am. I do know that not everybody is the same, but this makes sense. There are too many commonalities. This is all new to me and so I have mixed emotions about it all. Thank you so much for talking to me.

 

[DaisyRose]

It gives me a feeling of happiness and relief hearing your response. These are all things I deal with everyday. Somebody on Facebook just told me, "your not autistic, your just eccentric." Honestly I don't know what I am. I do know that not everybody is the same, but this makes sense. There are too many commonalities. This is all new to me and so I have mixed emotions about it all. Thank you so much for talking to me.

You are welcome! I’m glad my responses made you feel better about how you feel. It’s okay to be who you are and embrace how you express yourself. Everyone is different and each person has their own unique way of communicating. I’m happy I was able to pitch in and have a lovely conversation with you.

 

[WhitewaterWoman]

Welcome!

 

[Patrick Bushdiecker]

Welcome!

Thanks.

 

[Aspychata]

Definitely l can say things that aren't correct if l am tired. My body can constantly be motion. I love listening to songs over and over.

Welcome.

 

[Patrick Bushdiecker]

Definitely l can say things that aren't correct if l am tired. My body can constantly be motion. I love listening to songs over and over.

Welcome.

Thank you

 

[SusanLR]

Welcome!
I definitely see a lot of things you listed that are the same with me.
I have been diagnosed, but not until I was in mid- fifties.
Once the diagnosis was official, it was like reading the story of my life and understanding it.

No one ever thought about ASD when I was young.
They just thought I had a lot of anxiety.
It was good to learn that was only part of it.

 

[Storm Hess]

Hello.

You're talking to us now. You're doing fine so far.

 

[Kisa the tea]

Hello and welcome! Feel free to make any threads you want (within rules) and people with similar interests will definitely join in the discussion with you!