As a kid, I was bent on only reading books with animals, and would often escape to imaginary worlds involving animals. I hated other humans at the time and found them scary and confusing.
Even though I have learned to like and even enjoy people, animals still seem to graviate to me to this day. I feel like I have a strange and otherworldly connection with them.
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Given a “tentative” diagnosis as a child as I needed services at school for what was later correctly discovered to be a major anxiety disorder.
This misdiagnosis caused me significant stress, which lessened upon finding out the truth about myself from my current and past long-term psychiatrists - that I am a highly sensitive person but do not have an autism spectrum disorder
My diagnoses - anxiety disorder, depression and traits of obsessive-compulsive disorder (all in remission).
I’m no longer involved with the ASD world.