The Student Room Group

Could I be autistic?

My mum has thought for a while i might have autism and my doctor has said its a possibility. But i am confused because while i do have some autistic traits, i feel fine and fairly happy most of the time, and a lot of the videos/things i read about autism talk about having trauma, always feeling like an outsider and struggling everyday which i don't think is me. Is it possible for me to still be autistic even though i feel fine most of the time? I am also not sure if the reason i feel fine is because i am lucky enough to have a nice family and a very close, stable group of friends and i have not had to experience any big changes/issues so maybe this could all change when i leave for uni next year.
(For context, some of the autistic traits i think i may have are anxiety over new situations, delayed coordination skills, difficulty moderating my feelings when stressed, I often appear rude or blunt, I dislike eye contact with people I don't know and when I was younger I had a lot of sensory issues and I hated physical contact (I don't so much anymore. though).
autism is different for everyone and everyone struggles with it in different ways, the most important thing is that you dont let it define u even if it turns out you do have autism!
Original post by Anonymous
My mum has thought for a while i might have autism and my doctor has said its a possibility. But i am confused because while i do have some autistic traits, i feel fine and fairly happy most of the time, and a lot of the videos/things i read about autism talk about having trauma, always feeling like an outsider and struggling everyday which i don't think is me. Is it possible for me to still be autistic even though i feel fine most of the time? I am also not sure if the reason i feel fine is because i am lucky enough to have a nice family and a very close, stable group of friends and i have not had to experience any big changes/issues so maybe this could all change when i leave for uni next year.
(For context, some of the autistic traits i think i may have are anxiety over new situations, delayed coordination skills, difficulty moderating my feelings when stressed, I often appear rude or blunt, I dislike eye contact with people I don't know and when I was younger I had a lot of sensory issues and I hated physical contact (I don't so much anymore. though).

There are plenty of autistic people are fine and happy most of the time. Are the sources for this information you’ve been looking at regarding autism and trauma reliable? People on social media tend to be over dramatic, that’s now you get clout.
It’s perfectly ordinary to experience emotional regulation issues when stressed, also I am assuming that you are probably still quite young- as the brain develops, so does our ability to regulate ourselves.
Disliking eye contact with new people could simply be a result of social anxiety and not necessarily in the clinical sense either.
Many people with autism would very much struggle maintaining a stable friendship group.
Autism overlaps with conditions such as dyspraxia, sensory processing disorder, adhd and many more.

I am not saying that you don’t have autism, but equally autism isn’t the only possible explanation for who you are and what you find difficult. Humans are varied and not everything is a pathology.
Original post by Anonymous
My mum has thought for a while i might have autism and my doctor has said its a possibility. But i am confused because while i do have some autistic traits, i feel fine and fairly happy most of the time, and a lot of the videos/things i read about autism talk about having trauma, always feeling like an outsider and struggling everyday which i don't think is me. Is it possible for me to still be autistic even though i feel fine most of the time? I am also not sure if the reason i feel fine is because i am lucky enough to have a nice family and a very close, stable group of friends and i have not had to experience any big changes/issues so maybe this could all change when i leave for uni next year.
(For context, some of the autistic traits i think i may have are anxiety over new situations, delayed coordination skills, difficulty moderating my feelings when stressed, I often appear rude or blunt, I dislike eye contact with people I don't know and when I was younger I had a lot of sensory issues and I hated physical contact (I don't so much anymore. though).

Hi I have autism and I was the things you've mentioned definitely could be autism feel free to speak to me any time if you have any specific questions two things 1) what did the doctor say when you expressed this to them 2) have you taken the online survey it doesn't tell you for certain but it also gives you a good indication
A couple more things to consider
- if something was changed slightly e.g. you are supposed to go out at 4 but go out at 5 how does that impact you
- were you late to reach developmental milestones
Original post by Cancelled Alice
There are plenty of autistic people are fine and happy most of the time. Are the sources for this information you’ve been looking at regarding autism and trauma reliable? People on social media tend to be over dramatic, that’s now you get clout.
It’s perfectly ordinary to experience emotional regulation issues when stressed, also I am assuming that you are probably still quite young- as the brain develops, so does our ability to regulate ourselves.
Disliking eye contact with new people could simply be a result of social anxiety and not necessarily in the clinical sense either.
Many people with autism would very much struggle maintaining a stable friendship group.
Autism overlaps with conditions such as dyspraxia, sensory processing disorder, adhd and many more.

I am not saying that you don’t have autism, but equally autism isn’t the only possible explanation for who you are and what you find difficult. Humans are varied and not everything is a pathology.

Firstly I was just wondering if your neurotypical because if your not then your very lucky but people with autism aren't dramatic - we don't know how to be we just say things like they are and a neurotypical person would never understand so shouldn't make accusations like that
Secondly you say they're young but they're going to uni next year (I'm also going next school year)
When I went for my assessment they were surprised as how old i was but it was hard to pick up due to masking which is skills that girls learn from when they're born to cope and saying they're dramatic encourages masking and doesn't allow people to get the help they need
Also most people get diagnosed below thr age of 18 as when your developing that's when it's easier to recognise the traits
Original post by Jess_Lomas
Firstly I was just wondering if your neurotypical because if your not then your very lucky but people with autism aren't dramatic - we don't know how to be we just say things like they are and a neurotypical person would never understand so shouldn't make accusations like that
Secondly you say they're young but they're going to uni next year (I'm also going next school year)
When I went for my assessment they were surprised as how old i was but it was hard to pick up due to masking which is skills that girls learn from when they're born to cope and saying they're dramatic encourages masking and doesn't allow people to get the help they need
Also most people get diagnosed below thr age of 18 as when your developing that's when it's easier to recognise the traits

I have a diagnosis of autism if that makes any difference to what I’ve said…
I am not talking about autistic people in general, I don’t believe that the autistic people who are noisy about being autistic on the internet are representative of autism. Being dramatic is one of the key ways that people get noticed on social media.
Your brain doesn’t stop developing till age 24, OP is still young in terms of brain development.
Original post by Cancelled Alice
I have a diagnosis of autism if that makes any difference to what I’ve said…
I am not talking about autistic people in general, I don’t believe that the autistic people who are noisy about being autistic on the internet are representative of autism. Being dramatic is one of the key ways that people get noticed on social media.
Your brain doesn’t stop developing till age 24, OP is still young in terms of brain development.

Thanks for clarifying its just because I've seen lots of misinformation by people who aren't autistic but everyone is different so thanks for expressing your view

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