"Am I Autistic?" Guide
Basic concepts[edit]
Watch this video of Why Everything you Know About Autism is Wrong by Dr. Jac den Houting, an Autistic Autism Researcher.
This talks about the Autistic experience and introduces Damian Milton's Double Empathy Problem.
This video will give you the basic information you need to start to grok Autism
Lived experiences[edit]
Here's a list of over 100 lesser known Autistic traits that Autistic people experience every day of their lives expressed as lived experiences rather than clinical experiences or diagostics.
Reviewing this list can help you identify that your personal quirks might actually be manifestations of Autism.
Multigenerational normalization[edit]
The dominant factor of being Autistic is genetic.
One reason you may have reached your age without being diagnosed is that one or both of your parents may have "normalized" Autism because Autistic traits are normal for their family.
We polled Autistic people and the results indicated a 72% chance that at least one of their parents is definitely Autistic but only a 13% chance that their parents are aware of it.
Friendship and selection bias[edit]
This is compounded by it being easier to make friends (and even find a romantic partner) with people of the same neurotype, leading to you very likely making friends with other Autistic people who may also not know they're Autistic. As a result, what's demonstrably "normal" to your friends and family may only be "how everyone is" in your limited social circle.
Diagnosis criteria[edit]
The DSM-5 is a diagnosis methodology used to assess if a person is Autistic.
You can read a non-deragatory and accessible version of it, or watch Yo Samdy Sam's video on the topic.
Expansive example[edit]
The show Parks and Recreation is filled with Autistically Coded Characters in day-to-day life. It is a show about Autistic people without being about Autism.
Watching the show though the lense of Autism can be astonishingly revealing about yourself.
Here's a thread that explores how Autism is presented throughout Parks and Recreation.
Autistic vs. allistic face language[edit]
If you are Autistic you probably emote in a different way than most of the people around you.
Here's a thread that explores the difference between Autistic and allistic face language.
Atypical memory[edit]
If you are Autistic you probably have an atypical episodic autobigraphical memory and other nuances to your memory that stand out from the norm.
This is a thread on the differences between Autistic and Allistic memory.
Being drawn to ND and the marginalized[edit]
Autistic people naturally gravitate to other ND and marginalized people as well as media with such characters.
When they become aware they are Autistic, they often become consiously aware of this effect.
This is a thread on how Autistic people are drawn to and identify other Neurodivergent people.
How your environment impacts Autistic development[edit]
Autistic people often learn how to unconsiously mask their Autistic behaviors and traits though social pressure.
Due to this, any Autistic person not diagnosed early in life can unintentionally subvert an Autism diagnosis all together.
This is a thread that explains how Autistic people will adapt to social norms if not isolated from it.
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