Can see autism in people walking down the street?
I could tell a man had autism just by looking at him. He had a tight posture instead of relaxed and he was tapping his palm with his fingers as he walked, so he was stimming. It was really obvious. I looked at a NT person, just to compare their hands were normal and relaxed and their body language was relaxed.
Does anyone else notice this?
Also, some people you see obviously have a big 'inner world' or 'inner dialogue' or you might call it 'overactive' or 'very active mind' as you can see people talking to themselves or acting in a bizarre way but its probably making sense to their own selves.
And when talking to someone who has it, its even more obvious.
Only some professionals such as clinical psychologists have the skill and authority to diagnose autism. Even they have to follow a diagnostic procedure.
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Having said that, plenty of precious lil "people" have had the nerve to make fun of the way I walked, and I suspect that it has to do with autism (and they did not know that they knew nothing about autism)
I can recognise autism in males, but not females. Even females with severe, obvious autism, I can't always tell if it's autism or something else. But with males that show autistic behaviours, I can tell. I saw a guy with autism in the supermarket the other week, he had noise-cancelling headphones on and was flapping his arms, and had his parents or carers with him.
I can't always tell if a person might be mildly affected though, if they're just walking or acting normal. But everybody's different, and if a person has an unrelaxed gait or something it could mean a number of other things such as mental illness, social anxiety or learning difficulties or other things. But I think hand-flapping in adults seems to be the most obvious sign that someone is on the spectrum.
I don't flap my hands or rock or hold my hands in an odd position, so you wouldn't really guess that I'm on the spectrum if you didn't know me (actually people who do know me can't guess, as I just come across as a quirky or anxious NT).
I still get strangers staring at me though, usually girls in their 20s, and it creeps me out. I don't look at people though, I just look straight ahead like I don't care (in other words, confident and relaxed), but I can see their gaze in my periphery and it makes me feel self-conscious.
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Female
Once I met a person who, at first glance, I thought was on the spectrum, and he told me that he had diagnosed AS later that day. I didn’t even bring up the topic of autism. It was a very strange experience.
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Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven. – Satan and TwilightPrincess
I'm not interested in being black and white rigid thinking of ten hours with a doctor only!! in real life we have to go off whatever information is before us, and make quick decisions based off that.
There seems to be a "female" presentation. But there are also females who exhibit so-called "male" autism.
I've known or talked to a few but only the female autism types. hard to tell if they are autistic in the majority of cases.
The only reason I knew was because I was told beforehand or got to know them
It's amazing how our brains can pick up on things with enough experience.
I can't always tell if a person might be mildly affected though, if they're just walking or acting normal. But everybody's different, and if a person has an unrelaxed gait or something it could mean a number of other things such as mental illness, social anxiety or learning difficulties or other things. But I think hand-flapping in adults seems to be the most obvious sign that someone is on the spectrum.
I don't flap my hands or rock or hold my hands in an odd position, so you wouldn't really guess that I'm on the spectrum if you didn't know me (actually people who do know me can't guess, as I just come across as a quirky or anxious NT).
I still get strangers staring at me though, usually girls in their 20s, and it creeps me out. I don't look at people though, I just look straight ahead like I don't care (in other words, confident and relaxed), but I can see their gaze in my periphery and it makes me feel self-conscious.
How do you define hand flapping?
Like shaking your wrists and letting your hands flap about?
Like shaking your wrists and letting your hands flap about?
Well that thing what a lot of people with autism do with their hands, like they raise their arms near or above their head and jerk their body as they're moving their hands repetitively, as a way of calming themselves or dealing with too much stimulation or something.
Lol if I did that in public it wouldn't be calming my anxiety, it would make it worse because it will draw attention and people staring and judging me gives me anxiety! So I do stims that are socially acceptable or unnoticeable, like squeezing my fingers together (only if my hand is in my pocket) to distract my mind from all the judgemental strangers.
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Female
Like shaking your wrists and letting your hands flap about?
Well that thing what a lot of people with autism do with their hands, like they raise their arms near or above their head and jerk their body as they're moving their hands repetitively, as a way of calming themselves or dealing with too much stimulation or something.
Lol if I did that in public it wouldn't be calming my anxiety, it would make it worse because it will draw attention and people staring and judging me gives me anxiety! So I do stims that are socially acceptable or unnoticeable, like squeezing my fingers together (only if my hand is in my pocket) to distract my mind from all the judgemental strangers.
I've been around a few autistic people but never seen it
Yes I would avoid it for the same reasons
While I was diagnosed with Aspergers in 2001 as a young adult, I can tell you that even prior to that I had some insight into my differences, and I consciously emulated NT body language and walk/gait till it was more "natural" (and felt natural to me).
I think a great help towards this, was when I wasn't feeling persecuted as much as I had in my earlier years... the anxiety from being rejected and mistreated by others, which continued into my early 20s, had abated and I had a good job in CS/IT... so I didn't have that constant negative feedback loop eating away at me and translating into "rigid" posture and body language. I didn't have to contend with the dreaded "HPA axis" (google that term) where stress chemicals were constantly flooding my body.
Consequently, trusted people close to me told me that they couldn't tell if I was on the spectrum given "expected" autistic manifestations.
Like shaking your wrists and letting your hands flap about?
Well that thing what a lot of people with autism do with their hands, like they raise their arms near or above their head and jerk their body as they're moving their hands repetitively, as a way of calming themselves or dealing with too much stimulation or something.
Lol if I did that in public it wouldn't be calming my anxiety, it would make it worse because it will draw attention and people staring and judging me gives me anxiety! So I do stims that are socially acceptable or unnoticeable, like squeezing my fingers together (only if my hand is in my pocket) to distract my mind from all the judgemental strangers.
I've been around a few autistic people but never seen it
I’m surprised. It’s pretty common. Of course, maybe you haven’t been around that many autistic people.
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Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven. – Satan and TwilightPrincess
well the HPA axis is something new for me to obsess over, thanks for that
People with asperger's are targetted by bullies...so it stands to reason they are observing these traits and it sets off something in their brain.
mostly high functioning asperger's
Does anyone else notice this?
Also, some people you see obviously have a big 'inner world' or 'inner dialogue' or you might call it 'overactive' or 'very active mind' as you can see people talking to themselves or acting in a bizarre way but its probably making sense to their own selves.
And when talking to someone who has it, its even more obvious.
I think that autists notice other autists.
And I think that lots of damage to autists actually comes from high-masking, "higher functioning" autists (as well as other people insecure about their own space, who have to practice high levels of conformity-policing to be allowed in the group) who have found a place in a conformist space and are policing the other autists out of the group.
My mother hates autists, can spot them at a glance, and is a high masking autist herself who basically fears on some level that the presence of other autists destroys her passing privilege.
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"A book must be the axe for the frozen sea inside us." - Franz Kafka
ASD (dx. 2004, Asperger's Syndrome) + ADHD
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