(no subject)

[scarfman]

crossposted from Tumblr 7/20/16

I have several people with autism on my dash because someone I followed here from LJ was newly diagnosed a year or two ago. I also have a niece and a nephew who have autism and, when it's genetic, it has to have come from somewhere. All this is by way of saying that I've been realizing that I've always shown signs myself.

I like routine. I'm not much for eye contact. I like to eat the same things all the time, and each dish one at a time. I do repetitive fidgeting with objects in my hands. I prefer socializing in writing to in person, and when in person with people I already know, and in a group because I'm poor at holding up 50% of a conversation. I don't read people past the surface very well. I was near oblivious to flirting when I was single, and when I did pick up on it I didn't even think of reciprocating, or know how. I get nonverbal when I'm sleepy though not so badly that I can't overcome it at will. I do the "special interest" thing. I've scared people with the "special interest" thing (though none of these things going wrong causes clinical meltdowns, which may be a contributing factor to why it took me so long to realize what they, combined, add up to).

Now, when it's been fifty three years before the idea has even come up, I figure I must be pretty close to the neurotypical side of the spectrum. But it sure explains some things.

Edit Since the post on this subject I made at Facebook when I joined there - including a more complete list of symptoms than this post originally contained - has vanished from my FB homepage and from search engines, I'm going to add to the middle paragraph here the things I forgot initially, or new things that come to me, as I think of them.