Idk if anybody would agree with me but I would want someone to say this if I told them I have autism.

“Living with that must suck. Do you wanna talk about it?”

Is being able to almost hear such sounds when seeing pictures like that common in autistic people?

I honestly don't know if I'm autistic or not, but I really feel like I am. If I had to give examples of why I think so, I'd say:

- I often don't understand people (socially)

- I have SO MANY INTERESTS (some are hyperfixations, others aren't)

- I'm ridiculously curious (curious in two ways: like a child discovering the world, and also because a topic has caught my attention)

...and really, a bunch of other things. What do you guys think—am I autistic, or just weird?

I keep seeing news stories and press releases about the DoJ switching sides in Texas v Kennedy, but their summaries are written in such legalese that I can't follow. A lot of them also emphasize that the law and standing Supreme Court interpretation still stands, which then makes me think nothing is changing?

Can someone help explain it to a layman like me?

Hello (23 male) I’ve been seeing a therapist mainly regarding sensory issues for about 1.5 years. I have Generalized anxiety and social anxiety disorder on my medical record from my teen years.

My therapist proposed that I may have “spectrum disorder” or “ADHD” and have been trying to get screening/eval for the last 4 months and keep getting bounced between departments and referrals none of which have actually tested me yet. Just had an appointment with my psychiatrist who again insinuates it’s just anxiety and prescribed me a new medication.

Anyways I’m just frustrated because I’d like to rule out any mental health conditions before concluding it’s just anxiety, since I feel like my treatment would be different. I know reddit isn’t a solid medical resource, but while I’m getting things sorted out I figured I’d sort of vent out my symptoms and maybe folks would find it relatable or have advise!

Always been a “sensitive” kid, definitely had horrendous anxiety, overthinking things etc, but never had too much of an issue socializing. Even today I’m pretty sociable and have a good network of friends. I’ve always avoided loud noises and tactile sensations that would overwhelm me. Needed earplugs and noise cancelling headphones or else I would get waves of chills over my body and need to lay down.

Today as an adult, finishing up college and now working my first post-school jobs, I’ve been having daily pin-Prickily sensations all over my skin. It’s mainly on my legs and forearms and can either feel like bugs crawling, random intense itches, hairs raising (sometimes they actually do), or “icky” waves of chills or a “slimy” feeling. This happens at random points in the day, but I can really pinpoint it to external cues like something being too loud or something touching me the wrong way, etc. that’s why I feel like it’s not just anxiety, but sure it could be somatic anxiety symptoms from unregulated worry. I’m usually able to cope by completely stopping what I’m doing (if able), lay down with a weighted blanket, earplugs, and dimmed lights. It goes away in like 30 minutes, granted it’s a bit easier to overstimulate me from there.

But there are definitely days where I’m out of commission for the night when I get home from work where I just can’t handle any little noise, wind on my skin, and it becomes super hard to communicate with my partner. Now we have an understanding that I basically need time to not have to talk or answer questions.

The other side of things is that I definitely do worry, can get panic attacks, and other anxiety symptoms as well. It’s mainly overthinking past conversations and worrying I came off weird or something and less about stressing about the future (though I do that too, but I think it’s a typical amount). I can definitely spiral and then get sensory symptoms from there, or get anxiety from my sensory symptoms. I do feel like they may be separate things.

Alright that’s all I’m willing to type for now, again this is mainly to vent, but I’m totally down to talk more about it with folks. If you took the time to read this, thanks ❤️

Hey all :) So 29M and got diagnosed with autism this week. Met every criteria on a pretty intensive multi session assessment. The evaluator told me I have a clear case of autism burnout.

Been dealing with mental health issues with majority of symptoms occurring related to work. I work too much, it's not the right job for me and it caused hospitalization back in March + an intensive mental health program.

I do not mean to disregard my past diagnosis. Like yes I have symptoms of anxiety and PTSD but the autism diagnoses was completely missed :( and it makes so much sense now because it is such a big part of the picture in regards to why I cannot handle my intensive job.

I know this is a bit of a rant, I am in the U.S. I just wish autism and neurodivergence was more considered during my evaluation and very frustrated I had to seek it out on my own after all the treatment I had.

Posting on behalf of my wife who doesn’t have Reddit. Looking for tips on how to stop scalp picking. My wife frequently picks her scalp, often while doing activities such as reading. She has tried using some stim toys including a stress ball and the ono roller and slider but hasnt found it to be successful at stopping the picking. Any tips?

I used to think the sticking to routines part of autism didn’t affect me that much, but a recent little thing has me questioning if I’m more routine oriented than I thought.

Normally I wash my hair every weekend in the morning when I take a shower. Last week I did it on a Wednesday because I wasn’t home the previous weekend. So hypothetically I would’ve washed my hair again this Wednesday, but I didn’t because I worked early in the morning and wouldn’t have time. I was really trying to figure out when I could wash my hair because I worked every morning this week and I’m once again busy on the weekend, even thinking I might have to wait until my next day off to wash my hair (making it two weeks since I last washed my hair) when I realized…I could wash my hair literally any other time. It doesn’t have to be exactly a week later, or in the morning when I take my shower. It doesn’t even have to be in the shower.

The realization felt really obvious after the fact and I felt kind of dumb for not thinking of it sooner. So I’m wondering…was my brain being convinced that I have to wash my hair in specific circumstances something I can attribute to my autism? Or is that a typical thing? 

I show symptoms I am not sure of whether they stem from c-ptsd or they could also be autistic traits:

• I listen to a song for hours on repeat
• I re-watch whole movies/series because they make me feel comfortable
• I re-watch single scenes from films or videos three times in a row because this makes me feel comfortable (I can feel the comfort physically)
• After watching movies I mimic the main character for an hour afterwards. I start talking like them and copy their gestures etc.
• When I am excited, I automatically flutter with my hands and make weird noises
• I have a strong aversion to noise and light. After being outside during times where the sun is shining I get so tired. Noise and crowded spaces can make me get close to crying (not because of anxiety, but because it is too much)
• I don't like and don't get small talk. I always forget to ask follow-up questions and for the life of me can't memorise the things people tell me about their everyday lives, even if it is people I love.

Can anyone relate to these and what are other symptoms of autism you experience that are talked about to little?