Can you spot Autism? (in less than one second?)

Spot autism in less than a second? It took me 28 years to spot it in myself!

I toe walk, bouncing gate, smile at everyone, I’m expression blind, always wear loose clothes, play in creeks and generally have my head up enjoying life. I’m almost 50, Yea everyone notices Why would I want to blend in? I’m awesome 😎

I smiled at your anecdote about the man who felt he was passing so well. The same happened to me. I was speaking with one of my staff, who has been a teacher for about 30 years, and I decided to open up to her saying that I was thinking that I was on the spectrum and was considering going for a diagnosis. She looked at me blankly for a second, then said “oh, I thought you already had one.” Having had exposure to various neurodiversity, she saw it right away in me. The wonderful thing was she said it in such a non-judgemental way like she was saying “you didn’t realize you had brown hair?”. It made me feel that I could unmask and it would be all right.

On my first day in a class (PhD program, so we were all adults) my classmates and I were talking and getting to know each other before class. One of them said he was autistic. I asked him a few questions and it became obvious he wasn’t lying about it. My brother is autistic, so I recognized the traits. It was surprising to me that the other students couldn’t believe him and said he had probably been misdiagnosed. Well, this guy and I became best friends. He’s one of the best human beings I know.

Working at a special school, I like to see how long it takes for students in my class to say, "you're weird! You're not like the other teachers". First time this happened, I was very embarrassed and upset. Now... it makes me feel genuine.

I was only able to “spot autism” in people since my daughter had her diagnosis. And it STILL took me 8 years after that to realise l am bloody autistic 😂 It’s been so glaringly obvious but I was too busy being excited at spotted possible autistic signs in other people lol

I am seen as highly eccentric, but never autistic. People pick up on the ADHD sometimes, but even that's rare- I have only known about either condition for the last three years. "They think they are too good for other people," is something I have heard throughout my life, when in reality I have no idea how to talk to strangers. Even with people I know we'll, I'm rarely the first to call or strike up a random conversation because I can never tell how other people are feeling. I wait for other people to interact with me, that way I know if they want to talk to me. When I meet someone new, I unconsciously do a lot of mirroring/mimicry, picking up their mannerisms and speech patterns. I get really embarrassed when I realize I'm doing it, because it's usually a sign that I really like someone and want to be their friend. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to go about it. Other people tend to think I'm socially adept, apparently I'm "cool" as an adult, but I literally have no idea what I'm doing.

People typically just describe me as awkward and quirky and most of the time just add it up to me just being an eccentric/weird/artsy person. I've spent my whole life trying to be really good at masking and I've only gotten far enough that people just think that I'm a weirdo.

We spot each other. I encounter other people on the spectrum that will not talk to anyone else except for me in a crowd of people or in a gathering. It happens at the gym, at the store, in meetings, or on the street. It’s like we’re -/+ magnets for each other. They, if verbal, approach me and bring up mundane topics. No eye contact, no introductions.

I generally go unnoticed as being on the spectrum, it is so frustrating. Only took me 33 years to get diagnosed! But I have been called all types of crazy under the sun over the years. I even went to see a psychotherapist when a friend suggested to me that I might have BPD and even they told me that although I had traits, it wasn’t enough to be diagnosed with BPD or bi-polar, so I walked away screaming in frustration and wondering “What is wrong with me then? Why do I feel so different to everyone!?”. One quote I love is “The worst thing about having high-functioning autism is that you’re too weird to be considered normal, but too normal for people to believe you’re autistic”. Never a truer word spoken in my case. 😔

When you said "he was just thinking an processing a lot more than others who would just act on instincts" I realized that this is exactly how I feel. Other people just know what to say quickly but I go quiet for few seconds because I need to process information and find words that I want to respond with. Sometimes I have that I'm slower than others it's irritating. Also I'm looking around when I'm speaking.

I am a high-functioning aspie and most people seem surprised when I tell them I'm autistic. I usually have a policy of not telling people unless they have gotten to know me a bit first. I will say that I do often come off as a bit unusual and aloof to others. I have been told by some that they thought I was a snob before they got to know me (assigning a motive to the aloof behavior). I have also found that there is a certain percentage of people that are just not interested in socializing with me. I can just tell that they find talking with me uncomfortable on some basic level, even if they couldn't exactly say what it is about me that is bothering them.

I wish I could have a camera follow me around for a day while I interact in the world, so I could see what others see. I think I pass as neurotypical pretty well in public, but I may be fooling myself.

My mothers autism was so obvious we were stared at in public ALL the time. People looked at me with....I don't know. It was very uncomfortable. I have always been good with the "mentally ill". When I worked at a prison they sent me to deal with "the crazies". It's really funny. I thought it was from being around my mother.. Now I understand I was speaking to them on a level playing field! I did not discover I am autistic until a few months ago.

People could spot my differences easily, even when I was masking . I don't bother masking anymore.

People have always thought I'm weird - and I embraced that from childhood. However it took me 70 years to figure out why I am how I am. My fidgeting alone is probably a giveaway. Plus I am usually more interested in my own thoughts than what others are saying. I never "got' parties. Although I've generally fitted in OK, I now see how my (undiagnosed but 99% certain) autism has impacted all of my life. It feels good to at last have some relief, just from understanding better.

I have been trying to contact you Paul. Your videos have been life changing to me. I just turned 60 last week. I’m told I’m to old to diagnose because the system figures I made it this far fine😭 Anyway… my life has been hell … but your videos have shed so much light on things and for the first time in my life… at least things finally make sense. Wow- blessings to you in all your endeavors.🙏🏼

People spot I'm "weird" straight away. I never understood what exactly gave me away, though, and never managed to "fit" for prolongued periods of time. And although nobody has come to me and told me "hey are you autistic?" directly, they have said it to my sister or family (mostly as an insult, or dismissively). I myself consider that I can spot some weirdness quickly, but I often have trouble identifying if it's autism or ADHD, as some behaviors are very similar.

That part about not standing in the right pattern within a group really struck me, I've had that thought a number of times lately, like "am I positioned correctly in this group of friends?" the answer was obviously no!

My asd radar has always been incredible and I’ve always felt safer around people with asd. It wasn’t until this year that I realised that’s because I am one too. 🔥