Hey everyone, I'm new and curious if I have Autism

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Hey guys I'm new here. I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to post this in "General Autism Discussion" or "Getting to know each other". So, I'm posting it here just to be safe

Ok, so I'm curious. I've always been a little different. I've heard, seen, and read random little tidbits about autism, and I was wondering if I might show autistic qualities. Would any of these qualities categorize me as being autistic? (I apologize for the length)

Some things that have stood out:

-I didn't give my mom eye contact when I was a baby (I don't know if this is unusual, but my mom told me recently of this as if it was not normal)

-I became obsessed with roller coasters when I was 6 years old. I didn't really like to ride them. I liked to watch them. As a kid I would spend most of my time watching the rides while at amusement parks. And, I would memorize them. I started to design my own in my head and emulate them by holding a little toy car in my hand. All throughout school, I would daydream about roller coasters. I came up with a flat ride design when I was 7 or 8 (in 1993) that I found out later at 15 that it had been made. I just now looked it up online and it appears it debuted in 1999. I ended up riding one in real life when I was 18 and it wasn't that fun which made me kind of sad haha But, these days I don't really focus much on flat rides. I still have an obsession with roller coasters which I am very happy to have To this day, I dream of them at night all the time haha EDIT: Also, if someone around me is talking about roller coasters, I talk A LOT. I get the most excited feeling ever. Same as when I see a roller coaster in person. If it's been awhile, I jump around like a little kid being around one haha

-If there is a ceiling fan, and I am in a setting where I feel no one is paying attention to me, I can't help but stare at an individual blade as it's spinning until it makes me dizzy. (I wouldn't think this was unusual, but I told someone close to me about it recently and they didn't understand what I meant)

-When I was a kid I used to spin in circles on my hands and knees a lot. I didn't think this was odd, and neither did anyone around me I don't think. But, a few months ago I saw a few minutes of a tv show on autism my mom was watching that showed a kid spinning just like I used to. I don't know though if that is an autistic quality to spin.

-Math was always my strong subject throughout school.

-I pick at my teeth a lot (I have since probably 11 years old). It's always been something that people mention or glance at if they see me doing it. I move my tongue around in my mouth a lot to feel my teeth to see if I need to pick something. (hey, I'm 26 and I still haven't had a cavity haha) When I was a kid I would bite the inside of my cheek. I still do different things involving moving my tongue around my mouth.

-I rub my belly button everyday because of the feeling. For as long as I can remember I've been obsessed with getting scratched (like a back scratch). Close ones will scratch my back, neck, arms, palms of hands, and between fingers. I scratch myself when they don't want to. In addition, I will scratch myself in sensitive areas, such as behind the knees, the armpits, my ankles, and the bottom of my feet. I'm just obsessed with being scratched. I scratch myself to the point of breaking skin a lot of times. It's not because I'm itchy, it's because it feels good.

-People these days remark about how I sway back and forth or pace when I'm having a cigarette.

-People remark on my facial expressions. They say I look angry or frustrated. Or, they remark on how extreme my facial expressions are (specifically my eyebrows). I've tried for years to try to make them not move but I still get remarks here and there haha

-I'm quiet and it's pretty difficult for me to say things like "Hi", "Hello", "Hey", "Goodbye", "Bye", "How's it going?", "How are you?", "Goodnight", "Sleep well", "Thank you". "I love you". I usually quietly utter "hello" or "hey" when I see my friends and say "sleep well" when they leave. It's very hard for me to do, and I feel moronic everytime I part ways with my friends because of the silence they show afterwards (which is probably realistically them being unable to hear my quiet voice). Though, I've learned to be polite as best as I can. I always make sure that my friends have food and water if they need something. Or, that they get to choose what they prefer to do.

-I prefer to talk to people via writing (even friends). That's really the only deep communication method I can use with people that are not very close to me. I don't make my preference known, but people have remarked on how much better I am at expressing myself when I write than when I talk.

-People say I have a "different way of thinking."

-When I am around people and they are talking to me, I pay attention to any pets that around such as a cat or sometimes a dog.


So what do you guys think? I don't want to go to a doctor. I don't want any official diagnosis. Not because I'm ashamed, but because I would be proud to be autistic. I don't see anything wrong with me even though others might see me as a little different haha So, I don't feel the need to get treatment for anything. I'm just curious to know why I'm so odd in other people's eyes.

Sorry again for the length, and thank you so much for reading

Hi Tranceponder! Welcome to Wrong Planet! Check out the interesting articles and forums here. You are among friends here at WP!

The Autism/Asperger's forum has articles with links to online tests you can take. You might want to give those a try, as you do sound like you may be on the Autism/Asperger's spectrum to me. I am self diagnosed, through research and online testing, and a relative agrees with me about my conclusion.

Check out the site. There are even a games forum and one for computers and electronics.

Welcome to WP!

Hey man, welcome. I'm NT and I don't know. I wish you luck to find your answer.

Welcome. You certainly do sound like you are on the autistic spectrum. There are a bunch of on-line tests that can help you make up your mind. This thread covers several of the more common tests. You may also want to try my site which also has a number of tests. None of these tests can accurately diagnose you but they can give a pretty good indication. Either way if you feel comfortable here, stick around!

Welcome to Wrong Planet!

Welcome to Wrong Planet

Thank you all so much for welcoming me

I took three tests: 1) The Broad Autism Phenotype Test, 2) The AQ test, and 3) the Aspie Quiz


--The Broad Autism Phenotype Test: Autistic/BAP
Your result for The Broad Autism Phenotype Test ...
Autistic/BAP

You scored 109 aloof, 127 rigid and 113 pragmatic
You scored above the cutoff on all three scales. Clearly, you are either autistic or on the broader autistic phenotype. You probably are not very social, and when you do interact with others, you come off as strange or rude without meaning to. You probably also like things to be familiar and predictable and don't like changes, especially unexpected ones.

You scored 109% on aloof, higher than 56% of your peers. You scored 127% on rigid, higher than 96% of your peers. You scored 113% on pragmatic, higher than 89% of your peers. You scored 6% on diagnosis, higher than 60% of your peers.



--The Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ): 37



--Aspie Quiz
Your Aspie score: 154 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 43 of 200
You are very likely an Aspie



Are these the tests to take?

From those results you certainly do seem to fit the profile.

From my uneducated (as in "Don't have a degree in *that*", not "found out about Asperger's yesterday") eyeballing, I'd say probably. The having trouble talking to people doesn't look like just shyness/quietness, seeing as it's your friends too, and that people finding your facial expressions not quite appropriate. And that sort of stuff makes it seem like the rollercoasters (awesome!) and stimming things aren't coming from OCD on its own, so...

Welkome to WP

Mick