People can tell I'm different

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People can tell that I'm different, but they often aren't sure why. Most people that I know associate autism with the students that are in self contained classrooms and graduate with special diplomas. Those that do find out that I'm autistic, are shocked by how intelligent I am and that I can take care of myself. People are also shocked that I have a sense of humor. People also think that because I'm verbal, my communication skills are fine. What are your experiences with this?

I've seen school counselors/therapists virtually all my life and looking back I don't need a degree in psychology or rocket science to see I have Aspergers. The signs were so obvious internally that it's almost laughable. Yet none of the counselors or therapists made the connection because I'm so "normal," outwardly.

Most people that know me say I'm quarky though. Most people say that I'm "off," in a funny way, just not enough to be socially unacceptable and considered to have a dissability and/or mental heath issue.

I can pass very well for a normie, until someone had a long conversation with me.
That is the reason I flew under the radar for so long (undiagnosed).

I can "present well enough" for a few seconds, then it all goes to hell.

People tell me that I look all right and that I'm intelligent, but I know I'm different.

People can see I am different if I socialize enough and/or that I have sensitive hearing. I have been known to say intelligent things (as a first or second impression).

People can definitely tell that I'm different. That doesn't matter. Different is what I do best. It's a star that I wear with pride.

People tend to stare at me when I go out in public.

I seem to lack the psychic facility to tell when i'm being stared at unless somebody brings it to my attention.

I would absolutely love to know whether they can tell anything or not.

For example, a few days ago I am buying a pair of earrings for my mum's birthday and the shop assistant was really chatty. So I am locked there trying to focus on her face, responding when I am meant to and my head is just exploding with information and information about information and trying to decipher the correct information to focus in on. At the same time I am trying to make sure that my littlest child doesn't topple of a tall chair. Then another child falls somewhere else in the shop and starts screaming and I am trying to just focus on this woman's face and voice and it is getting harder and harder. Does she notice that? Does that kind of thing happen to a neurotypical person too? Is the chatty earring sales person experiencing the same thing I am? Is this in fact what normal human interaction feels like for most people? Who knows? I am still very confused about my own brain.

That I'm different has been obvious since I was a little kid, but the interpretations that have been drawn from that fact vary. From giftedness to anorexia, I've received quite a few labels from self-declared experts. Reading your experiences, though, I think I deal with the opposite problem. People aren't surprised to learn that there's something "wrong" with me because of their high estimation of my intelligence. Rather, they know from the beginning that something's glitchy upstairs, and it negatively biases their expectations. People outright tell me that they're surprised by how articulate I am when I open my mouth. It happens often enough that it's more of an insult than a compliment. The trend seems to suggest that no one expects anything of me based on appearances.

I have a weird voice and I am not the greatest conversationalist. If I have enough common ground and I really click with a person, than my conversation skills aren't too bad. People get weirded out by how quiet I am. Masking my autism is exhausting. I am usually completely worn out by the time I get home from work each day.

I guess people think I'm weird, that's probably why they stay away from me