I'm not sure how many of these are "symptoms", and I also don't 100% know if I'm on the spectrum, but these are the things that make me suspect I could be:
Difficulty making eye contact
I'm terrible at understanding jokes and sarcasm
Although I can "mask" fairly well, I have some difficulty with social interaction. I can follow a script in many cases, and once I do get comfortable around certain people, I can communicate fairly well and appear fairly "normal". But I have selective mutism to a degree, and can't even bring myself to speak to some people. Small talk is difficult for me.
I have a very childlike demeanor and people think I am much younger than I am. Most people are absolutely shocked to find out I'm 28 because they think I'm a kid/teenager at first. I do just naturally look young and am also only 5'1", but I do think my demeanor and just the way I carry myself and communicate contributes to this as well. And the fact that I have no interest in wearing makeup and not much interest in fashion (so I usually just wear a pretty basic shirt and jeans/leggings) is probably also a factor.
I have a very difficult time being assertive and standing up for myself. I tend to let people walk all over me because I just don't really know how to communicate with them and set boundaries.
Have a hard time expressing how I feel and putting my feelings into words
Poor executive functioning skills. I'm horrible at time management and forget stuff a lot. I find it so hard to keep track of papers, bills, etc.
Very physically awkward and clumsy. Although most of the difficulty is with fine motor skills. My gross motor skills are better.
Very sensitive to bright light and I'm picky about how my clothes feel. I end up wearing the same stuff over and over again because I find that it's more comfortable than anything else I own.
Sound sensitivity. I'm pretty sure I have misophonia, which I've read may or may not be a common comorbidity with autism/Asperger's. And I hate pretty much any loud noise that has a start-and-stop nature (because I can never be certain when it's going to happen again and prepare myself). Although I am mostly okay with consistent background noise.
I have some fairly unusual stims. Clanking/grinding my teeth constantly, and I do a lot of weird stuff with my fingers.
Cannot follow verbal/multi-step instructions to save my life. Poor auditory processing skills.
Can sometimes get frustrated and overwhelmed and just break down crying. Or sometimes I self harm (not really severely because I don't injure myself or make myself bleed...but I do sometimes hit or bite myself)
I have a lot of obsessions and special interests. They usually change every few weeks. I'll just get fixated on a certain topic, movie, TV show, music/musician, celebrity, etc. and spend almost all of my time looking up information/videos about it.
19 May 2020, 6:37 pm
