Blog By Arman Khodaei
Have you ever felt like you don’t quite fit in? Do you struggle with social interactions, have anxiety around others, or have difficulties multitasking? If so, you may have gone undiagnosed with Autism. You’re not alone in feeling this way. Many people are starting to realize they may have gone undiagnosed for the majority of their life. While many men feel they have gone undiagnosed, it does seem especially common for women to go undiagnosed.
1. Social Interactions are a challenge: Making eye contact, reading body language, and making and maintaining friendships may not come easily to you.
2. You can’t function without common routines: You may have a specific way of doing things and feel distressed or unable to accomplish anything if your routine is disrupted.
3. Sensory sensitivities are a thing: You may be super sensitive to certain stimuli such as light, sound, touch, and smell. Certain sounds or lights can even cause pain.
4. You are super focused on a handful of interests: You may be super passionate about a specific topic, to the point where it becomes the focus of your conversations or thoughts, some may even say to the point of obsession. For certain professions, this can be a really good thing.
5. Dealing with change messes up your entire day: Dealing with change, whether it’s going from one task to another or handling unexpected events, may be a challenge for you.
6. You may suffer from anxiety and/or depression: Social interactions and communication difficulties can lead to feelings of social anxiety and deep loneliness which can also result in depression.
7. Processing information can be overwhelming: You may find it difficult or even impossible to process multiple conversations to take in too much information at once, sometimes causing you to shut down.
8. Multi-tasking can be a challenge: You may struggle with doing more than one thing at a time.
9. You have interests that some consider child-like: You may still like Thomas the Tank Engine or My Little Pony and that’s 100% okay.
10. Your sexuality may be outside of societal norms: You may be asexual (having no sexual interests in others) or only get romantic feelings for someone after knowing them on an intellectual level (demisexual).
Now, it’s important to remember that everyone on the Autism Spectrum experiences Autism differently. Not everyone will have all of these symptoms/experiences. A proper diagnosis can bring clarity, but it is not mandatory. Just being aware that you are likely Autistic without an official diagnosis can help you understand yourself better. You can watch YouTube videos and read literature written by other Autistic individuals and also join support groups of those going through similar experiences.
Check out Resources for Adults to Obtain a Diagnosis at https://ieautism.org/signs-you-may-have-gone-undiagnosed-with-autism/
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Arman Khodaei is an adult with Autism who has over 14 years experience as a Community Organizer, creating connections with community partners, public speaking, teaching workshops, running, and coordinating events, and helping adults on the autism spectrum reach their full potential. You can reach Arman at education@ieautism.org
