Could I be Autistic?

Hey, you. Yes, you, the one who is reading this, most likely sitting in some manner other than “proper”. Do people tell you that you “take things too literally”? Have you been called “weird” or “eccentric” or “fidgety”? Did you find yourself being excluded or bullied a lot as a child, or even as an adult? Do you identify with the concept of “gifted child burnout”? Do people seem to get upset with you for reasons you don’t understand when you answer a question honestly? Or maybe you are a super fan of some series or universe, with a large collection of memorabilia, or are completely fascinated by some specific topics? Do I have your attention?

The primary goal of this project was not general education, though that was also intended. The goal was to reach out to you, someone who read all this content and found a lot you identified in yourself. You could be autistic, or you could have another form of neurodiversity at the very least. While it may seem absurd (“I’m 30! There is no way I could be autistic and no one caught it by now!”) or scary (“Whoa, this completely changes everything about my life!”) at first, there is no harm in looking into it more. If you are neurodiverse, finding out can only improve your life. With knowledge comes power and understanding. Knowing the cause of difficulties in your life can help you work around it.

So, what do you do next? You could check out more content to learn more. You could take some tests for autism and ADHD to get an idea (remember, they don’t account for masking, so treat them as you remember your childhood, not the present!). You could find community – there are plenty of them on Facebook, Discord, or any other social media platform, and most communities welcome self-diagnosis. You could reach out to me if that feels more comfortable. If you are neurodivergent, taking these steps could literally change your life – especially if you have ADHD, as there could be help for so many problems that have plagued your life.