I've been wondering for a while whether I might have a neurodivergence that went undiagnosed. Certain behaviors I exhibited during childhood, along with some recent events, have made me consider this possibility. However, I don't want to self-diagnose; I'd rather consult a specialist who can professionally assess my situation.

When I brought this up with my psychiatrist, he strongly advised me against getting tested. I didn't fully understand his reasoning, but, as far as I can remember, he said that the tests aren't officially validated, that the concept of neurodivergence has been broadened so much that practically anyone could fit into it, and that the goal of psychology should be to treat problems rather than label people. He also mentioned that his approach was based on phenomenology.

The thing is, I don't have much confidence in my psychiatrist because of other experiences I've had with him in the past, although that doesn't necessarily mean he's wrong about this particular issue.

So, I'd like to hear your thoughts, especially from people with a background in psychology or experience with these kinds of assessments. Should I seek a second professional opinion, or should I trust my psychiatrist's judgment?

I'm not looking for a diagnosis from strangers on the internet or a label to identify with. I simply want to better understand the situation and figure out whether it's worth consulting a specialist to get some clarity.

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

I’m a 33-year-old man who has recently started exploring whether I might be autistic. I’m not diagnosed, and I’m trying to understand myself better rather than looking for a diagnosis from Reddit.

I grew up in a family affected by alcohol addiction, and my mother eventually passed away in that context. I’ve been wondering how my upbringing may have shaped the way I interact with people, deal with emotions, and respond to my environment.

At the same time, I’ve started recognizing traits in myself that make me wonder about autism.

Some things I recognize in myself today:
- I rehearse conversations in my head before speaking.
- I consciously monitor my facial expressions, eye contact, body language, and how others perceive me.
- Small talk can be difficult, and I generally prefer one-on-one conversations.
- Social interaction can feel like a conscious process rather than something that comes naturally.
- When I’m relaxed, conversations can flow effortlessly. When I’m tense or mentally exhausted, I feel like I have to think about almost everything I say or do.
- Social situations and busy environments can leave me mentally exhausted.
- I recognize a preference for routines, difficulty with changes, sensory sensitivities, and some repetitive habits.

The part I struggle with most is connecting these experiences to my childhood.

My memories of ages 6–12 are quite unclear. I remember that social interaction during my teenage years could be tiring and that I sometimes had to think about what to say and how to behave. However, I can’t confidently recall whether I experienced the same things I notice today.

I keep wondering: Did I develop these behaviours as adaptations to my childhood environment, have I been masking autistic traits for most of my life, or could both be true?

I’m particularly interested in hearing from people who discovered they were autistic as adults and who also grew up in difficult or unpredictable family environments.
- How did you recognize autistic traits in your childhood when your memories were unclear?
- How do you make sense of the overlap between autistic masking, hypervigilance, and trauma-related adaptations?
- Have you experienced social interaction feeling effortless on some days but exhausting and highly conscious on others?
- Did understanding yourself as an adult change how you interpreted your childhood?

I’m not expecting definitive answers. I’m hoping to hear about your experiences and how you made sense of them.

Thanks for reading.

Hello r/AutismTranslated

Today I received a formal diagnosis for Level 1 Autism, or "Autism requiring some support without intellectual impairment" as my report says.

Oddly enough, the report ruled out ADHD, which my therapist was confident I had, and informally diagnosed me with within a few sessions of meeting.

Along with Autism, I've been diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder, Major and Persistent Depressive Disorder, OCD, and Avoidant and Schizoid Personality types.

I have to say that having an official diagnosis feels relieving, maybe going into vindication, as I've spent a fair amount of time feeling like I am Autistic but being told that I don't seem like I am.

But now, I have to figure out what I want to do with this information. Obviously for some of my other diagnoses, there's a long road ahead, treatment wise. I don't necessarily feel like I have to treat my Autism, I just have to figure out what it means for me.

I'm not entirely convinced I don't have AuDHD, but there was some empirical data gathered from the evaluation that is hard to argue with.

Anyway, hello, I am Autistic, and I am proud to be Autistic.

I finally got appointments set up, three to do, one tomorrow morning that'll last an hour, one next month that'll last 3 hours and one the month after that which will be 1 hour again.

My therapist is very hopeful for my evaluations, because we're not just looking into autism, but also ADHD and potentially a few learning disabilities like dyscalculia and stuff like that.

I have never been evaluated despite a hospital stay where they really wanted to evaluate me, because my parents already had my little brother diagnosed and didn't want two autistic kids.

I am just wondering how this type of thing goes, they said the first appointment is like an intake kinda thing, and the first doctor I meet will be the last one I see as well, but for the 3 hour appointment I'll be meeting someone else, and they'll be doing all the testing then. It's going to be a telehealth appointment. What can I expect when I begin these appointments?

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Hi there,

I am a self diagnosed autistic and I am going to get diagnostic assessment in the future. I would like to ask that is a part of autism to feel fear and anxiety all the time even when there is no reason? I fear what the others are going to say about me I fear the other people , I fear if they are going to say negative things about me. And I developed an anxiety I take everything literally and I am really anxious when someone says mean things to me. What I can do about it?

I want to help my family and friends understand what AuDHD is, in a nutshell.

Have you guys found any short videos or short articles that have succinctly & professionally encapsulated a general, broad idea of the AuDHD experience without any sort of flowery/sensationalized language.

I’d love to talk a lot about it with them but I think they need to be eased into it and I don’t want to scare them off with videos/articles with needless therapy-speak, and/or incredibly long and verbose media sources.

Hello first time poster here looking for some advice post-realising I have ADHD/ASD. pls see repost for more info!

What do you think