What made me think to maybe be on the spectrum

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As an addition to my introduction. Maybe you recognize yourself or maybe experience things differently.

* Poor gross motor skills as a child
*bad feeling for rhythm
* odd gestures according to my adoptive mother
*”clumsy” and a strange walk, walked not really lifting my feet
*Played ”academically” indepth with toys and things
*difficult playing together with others
*difficult with eye contact
*bullied as a small child referring to my clumsiness and my indian heritage
*bookish, read a lot of books, detailed and knew a lot of things
*my adoptiveparents and brother were often embarrased of me and tried tune down my differences or as they said oddities

-Later in life..college years

*described as lazy and uninterested
*uneven schoolgrades. Very good in my interests and ”fail” in subjects I did not like
*interpreting many things differently
*feeling being different and lonely
*strong strong interest, like I was and am studying things
*deep inner feelings. A sensitive soul.

-present time
*strong interest many still left from childhood like fantasy and roleplaying
*need a lot of alone time
*mindfulness helps, practising yoga
*a bit dyslectic, omitt words, did it as a child too
*a bad planner
*want to wanr people mean when they speak symbolically or in riddles
*tired of social interaction, it works but I need to rest for a day or two sometimes

The list can be longer. But a lot of this plus what I ve read made me come here.

Thanks so much for all already helpful advice.

sounds like it to me, but I'm no expert. self recognition of autism is valid in most autistic communities because diagnosis for adults is out of the reach of many of us due to travel, expenses, lack of professional expertise, etc etc

Possible resources to double-check your suspicions:
=>- Autism-Spectrum Quotient Test (AQ)
=>- Aspie Quiz ^{Registering is optional!}

Good luck!

Welcome to WP.

Yes, to most on the list. I wish I had known about "uneven schoolgrades. Very good in my interests and ”fail” in subjects I did not like" before college. I would have known to get help or avoid those situations. I wonder that it's ADHD like (which I have also), but maybe an ASD crossover.

These are the few that are different or require clarification for my personality or ASD type:
*Poor gross motor skills as a child --- with focus I am naturally athletic (23andMe confirms DNA), without I'm the first to trip over my own feet
*bad feeling for rhythm - I've got rhythm, dancing is a special interest and was a means to finding a spouse and BFF
*difficult with eye contact - I thought I did fine, but my ASD evaluator reported that I don't (apparently only babies and toddlers are supposed to stare, but I find it comfortable)
*bullied as a small child - I was shunned (a gender thing in part)
*described as lazy and uninterested - I'm an overachiever, but I am criticized for not cleaning the house (a gender thing in part)
*a bad planner - with focus I am highly organized (a gender thing in part), without it's a big fat zilch

Thanks for the list! Some surprised me to discover about myself.

Actually, "loves to plan ahead" or "must always make detailed plans," or similar wording is often on ASD checklists. Autistics need to plan things out or think about how things will go a lot, visualizing scenarios in their head, making all sorts of plans, from how to verbally respond, to what to bring on a short trip, maybe making a to-do list, or some other form of planning.

This is where perspective and self-reporting can fail. One can say they are a bad planner not b/c they don't or didn't try more than most people, but b/c everything just seems to go wrong anyway. Similarly, I was asked if my ASD daughter had routines and I was like "heck no!" b/c it was impossible to get her into bed at exactly 8:35 every night - which in my mind qualified as "routine". I didn't mention that she must read exactly 3 books, must sit on my left side, must..., b/c in my mind those are compulsions, not "routines". She did not get a diagnosis.

I used to self-report that I was not anxious and didn't have problems with attention. I can now that those conditions have been explained to me ---oh, so that is an anxiety attack and not everyone feels this way near every hour of every day? Oh.