NT asking for opinion

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Hi, I'm new here and I want to say off the bat that I'm neurotypical. I have just been curious about something for a while, and I was wondering if I could get some insight. I have been dating my boyfriend for 2 years, and I wonder if he may be on the spectrum. If he is, that wouldn't change anything of course. It's not like I'm perfect either, since he has to deal with my anxiety/OCD and depression, and I'll love him no matter what. But still, I am curious. The clues are that he gets very hyperfocused on certain things sometimes, especially if its something he's worried about. He can rant about his favorite musicians for forever, and it can be difficult to get him to change the topic. Sometimes when he's talking he'll make odd hand gestures, or holds his wrist folded downward for no reason. Sometimes he'll go off talking about a topic he loves, and he doesn't realize that the person he's talking to isn't interested. Or similarly he doesn't realize that what he's saying is really awkward. If he is on the spectrum, he would be very high functioning, since he has a pretty typical life. He's a middle school teacher, and has been successful with relationships, both romantic and platonic. He has like a million friends, and he seems to make friends everywhere he goes. I don't know, there are just little things that seem different, and I'm not sure if it's quirkiness or something else. If someone more knowledgeable than me has any input, that would be cool.

I also just wanted to say that I think this site is great. I feel like I've already learned so much more about autism and Asperger's just by poking around the forums.

Welcome to the forums! I should start off by asking if you told him your suspicions and if he knows he displays those symptoms.

From what you tell us, it's not terribly clear about what he really has; perhaps he's very quirky and REALLY enjoys talking about things he loves (which is inherent to far more people than you think, as a rule of thumb).

What's his personality like? Does he look people in the eyes when he speaks?

To me, he either has very mild Autism, or he had it bad in the past and worked through his symptoms.

Good luck on your search for answers!

No one on this website is qualified to make a diagnosis, so you're better off to take your boyfriend to an appropriately-trained and licensed mental-health professional.