Help could i have autism?

[kinzokukae]

edit: i don't think autism is the right word to use, more so just non-neurotypical (or possibly if any of this is a result of my depression/anxiety)

hey, this isn't a huge concern, more a curiosity of mine after i did a bunch of thinking about myself.
i'd like to hear your opinions on it since i know absolutely nothing about autism and other neurodivergencies

in school, i've always been pretty smart (getting high above-average grades), despite having really terrible memory and never studying - i always wrote this off as picking things up super quick, but ive never met anyone else with 'natural' intelligence. recently i saw a few reddit posts that mentioned something about how many 'gifted' kids tend to be neurodivergent, so it got me thinking lol

i'm also, generally speaking, quite strange though i don't think i've ever given it as much thought as i have in the past few days. i suppose it's hard to explain, but there are several habits i have (such as always needing to have something in my mouth to chew, cutting clothing tags off of everything [and i find clothing somewhat irritating nonetheless, especially if it has seams - i used to throw tantrums bc of this as a child], laying on the floor just because i can) that i've rarely come across in someone else.

additionally, i have an extremely difficult time understanding other peoples feelings/reactions due to my apathy - i've always believed this was because of my childhood trauma, but i'm aware some autistic people can have difficulty in social situations bc of this or similar

any ideas? i don't mean any offence by this, i'm just genuinely curious (: if it could possibly be something please tell me anything you know! i love finding out new info about stuff

 

[Lmd]

Umm...those things are pretty generic. Have you tried to do some autism tests? I met a few autistic persons and they are a waaay different from each other. Actually one of them discovered it from a test in a random day. After that he goes to a psychologist and confirm it so..

 

[kinzokukae]

Umm...those things are pretty generic. Have you tried to do some autism tests? I met a few autistic persons and they are a waaay different from each other. Actually one of them discovered it from a test in a random day. After that he goes to a psychologist and confirm it so..

fair enough, do you mean tests online? i looked for some a little while ago, but none seemed to be actually researched/informed beforehand enough to be even slightly credible. i would've asked my gp about it but with the whole corona situation i won't get any appointments for a long while

i should probably add this in an edit, but i don't think autism was the right word choice, i guess i just mean non-neurotypical? or i suppose i'm also wondering if all this could just be a result of genes/experiences/my depression or anxiety ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Lmd]

fair enough, do you mean tests online? i looked for some a little while ago, but none seemed to be actually researched/informed beforehand enough to be even slightly credible. i would've asked my gp about it but with the whole corona situation i won't get any appointments for a long while

i should probably add this in an edit, but i don't think autism was the right word choice, i guess i just mean non-neurotypical? or i suppose i'm also wondering if all this could just be a result of genes/experiences/my depression or anxiety ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Hmmm...If this somehow helps you the only thing I think they have in common is the way they see the world. Everyone has their point of view but all of them can't pick up hints or read the enviroment/situations. Like if you tell something with double meaning is difficult for them understand it (this does not have to always happen) Also the don't usually think of you when you are doing something together. This doesn't mean they are "apathyc" Actually few of them are very sensible and can empathy and be very relievers. As I said it depends of the person and the grade of autism I guess

 

[ocd is bad]

I've wondered if I'm neurodiverse in the past, mainly due to my inability to make friends and how I get really uncomfortable with eye contact. I don't think there's really any definitive tests since it's a spectrum but if you're curious it may help to look into some common attributes of autistic/neurodiverse people and maybe talk to some online about it.

 

[Fragile]

Anime pic? very likely.

I'm kidding of course, this is a very complicated topic and a simple internet test may not give you a real, or even accurate answer.

Now, you should understand that what we know as autism is just an umbrella term for a lot of different conditions that share some common behaviors or symptoms. being intelligent is actually not one of them. autism ranges from low functioning (low IQ, debilitating symptoms) to high functioning (slightly bellow average to normal or even high IQ, mostly manageable).

what you should really look into are the stereotypical behaviors. stuff like lack of eye contact, repetitive movements, odd behavior, obsessing with particular things or subjects, etc. are usually the ones that give away a possible diagnosis of autism. but even then, normal people can have a lot of those symptoms and still not qualify for it. Only a professional can give you a real answer, but ADHD shares a lot in common with autism. some times even professionals misdiagnose one with the other, not to say that they are mutually exclussive.

Also, autims is actually fairly common. If I remember correctly, 1 out of every 50 children are diagnosed with some form of it. when compared to other mental disorders it is incredibly prevalent.

 

[Lorntroubles]

Anime pic? very likely.

I'm kidding of course, this is a very complicated topic and a simple internet test may not give you a real, or even accurate answer.

Now, you should understand that what we know as autism is just an umbrella term for a lot of different conditions that share some common behaviors or symptoms. being intelligent is actually not one of them. autism ranges from low functioning (low IQ, debilitating symptoms) to high functioning (slightly bellow average to normal or even high IQ, mostly manageable).

what you should really look into are the stereotypical behaviors. stuff like lack of eye contact, repetitive movements, odd behavior, obsessing with particular things or subjects, etc. are usually the ones that give away a possible diagnosis of autism. but even then, normal people can have a lot of those symptoms and still not qualify for it. Only a professional can give you a real answer, but ADHD shares a lot in common with autism. some times even professionals misdiagnose one with the other, not to say that they are mutually exclussive.

Also, autims is actually fairly common. If I remember correctly, 1 out of every 50 children are diagnosed with some form of it. when compared to other mental disorders it is incredibly prevalent.

I hear what you said, but I have to argue with your definition on low- and high-functioning autism. High-functioning autism is Asperger's, which is still Autism, but to a slighter degree.

There's some people with autism; highly intelligent, but they will never be considered high-functioning because they have many social problems and inability to adapt to the struggles and changes of society nor the desire to.

OP, it is always best to go to a doctor or specialist about any concerns you may have. Go get a second opinion if you need to.

Can depression and anxiety cause us to act "weird?" Hell yes. At one point, my anxiety had gotten so bad I would blank out and others obviously thought I was stupid when in actuality I was very stressed out. Mental illness and trauma can for sure wire your brain differently and cause brain damage.

 

[Fragile]

I hear what you said, but I have to argue with your definition on low- and high-functioning autism. High-functioning autism is Asperger's, which is still Autism, but to a slighter degree.

There's some people with autism; highly intelligent, but they will never be considered high-functioning because they have many social problems and inability to adapt to the struggles and changes of society nor the desire to.

I mean, aspergers is an outdated term for high functioning autism, it's no longer on the dsm-5 as a singular condition and psychologist don't use the term anymore. It's a spectrum so I just gave the general view of what is considered high and low functioning autism, obviously they have a lot of variation betwen each individual and their symptoms since autism is just a generalization of stuff that looks similar on the outside, but may have a wide variety of causes.

and what I was saying is that inteligence in itself is not part of the diagnosis. specially because some people may be considered highly intelligent in some aspects, even savant level, but still score low on an IQ test because they heavily lack in some other areas.

 

[kinzokukae]

I hear what you said, but I have to argue with your definition on low- and high-functioning autism. High-functioning autism is Asperger's, which is still Autism, but to a slighter degree.

There's some people with autism; highly intelligent, but they will never be considered high-functioning because they have many social problems and inability to adapt to the struggles and changes of society nor the desire to.

OP, it is always best to go to a doctor or specialist about any concerns you may have. Go get a second opinion if you need to.

Can depression and anxiety cause us to act "weird?" Hell yes. At one point, my anxiety had gotten so bad I would blank out and others obviously thought I was stupid when in actuality I was very stressed out. Mental illness and trauma can for sure wire your brain differently and cause brain damage.

I mean, aspergers is an outdated term for high functioning autism, it's no longer on the dsm-5 as a singular condition and psychologist don't use the term anymore. It's a spectrum so I just gave the general view of what is considered high and low functioning autism, obviously they have a lot of variation betwen each individual and their symptoms since autism is just a generalization of stuff that looks similar on the outside, but may have a wide variety of causes.

and what I was saying is that inteligence in itself is not part of the diagnosis. specially because some people may be considered highly intelligent in some aspects, even savant level, but still score low on an IQ test because they heavily lack in some other areas.

thank you both for the information!! yeah so i was right, autism wasn't quite the right word - and the mention of ADHD being somewhat similar makes me wonder if it could possibly be that instead. i've always wanted to get tested for that since i was young and i've always had concentration/distraction issues but the one time i brought it up to my mother she said i didn't have it so there's no need, and i never really bothered since lol;;

i'm not concerned about it per se, just curious to know if it's just a general weirdness/personality quirk, or actually something diagnosable. again, thanks for the information, it's good to hear other opinions (: i could've (and probably should've) googled the common symptoms before posting this, but i overlooked it and figured i knew enough to question it - i'll do a bit more research on it and also ADHD

 

[Alucard]

I understand you, I share these feelings.