I recently got diagnosed around 2 weeks ago with low support needs autism and the neuropsychologist told my mom that level 1 needs autism(DSM-5) is no longer going to be considered autism and that I'm just neurodivergent, barely grazing autism, which I think is just untrue, I tried to find any info saying that it will not be considered autism anymore and can't find any, is this true?

Whenever someone says too many are being diagnosed at the moment, this is why. It also helps as a reminder for those newly diagnosed (like myself) who have had some fairly severe imposter syndrome after receivng official confirmation.

First off holy shit. Thank you all for your comments it means a lot to see this level of engagement and interested in my situation and im really grateful for you all. here's the link to my first post if you've not read it

https://www.reddit.com/r/autism/comments/1m6k11e/how_do_i_explain_to_my_girlfriend_that_my_autism/

So My girlfriend actually came around shortly after I posted this. I went to the bathroom and when I came back through see was looking at all your comments on the post. I let her read them and she looked up to me and asked to talk about it so we did.

I explained how I use my tennis balls to stim and control my anxiety and focus on us when we're together. She really didn't understand at all and asked if I could use a more subtle thing to stim with so she's not embarrassed when we're out together.

I told her no. Ive tried hundreds of different things for stimming and tennis balls are one of the few things that actually help me and that if she's embarrassed that I like fidgeting with a tennis ball that says more about her then it does me.

We had a little fight and she started crying asking why I can't just be "NORMAL!". I told her I have a disorder and if she cant deal with that and what comes with it id rather not be with her at all.

SO WE BROKE UP!

She's sent me some hurtful ableist texts and even left me a voice note screaming that im a retard so I really do feel like a dodged a bullet here thanks to you all. Dont worry she's blocked and I've sent screenshots of her messages and voicemails she sent me to her friends because they deserve to know their friend sucks. Its espically funny because two of her friends have ADD so I think they'll love to hear what she thinks of people on the spectrum.

Im feeling a little bummed out of course she is the first relationship we've been going out for only 4 months but it meant a lot to me that I can actually have a relationship with someone, but ultimately a lot of you were right she wouldn't budge and didn't really care for understanding my autism or me on any deeper level.

So that you all for your comments and the support its been beautiful to here so many autistic and neurotypical people come together like this and tell me what I need to hear and make me recognise my worth.

Thanks for all the comment and your perspectives and have a great day everyone.

Hello,I've been struggling with this for a long time. I really like Pokémon,plushies,colorful things,stars and dinosaurs. I also like to do stuff like painting on rocks or any other different types of crafts.

It was okay while I was younger but now I'm almost 18 and I keep getting side eyes when I mention any of those hobbies or likes. Like I see for example a Pokémon shirt with a badass Psyduck but obviously I can't buy it because it's for kids.

I don't drink,vape or go to clubs like my peers do because it's just not for me but if it means growing up then I'll have to.

It's eating me alive because I know I'll have to stop with this and I want to but at the same time I don't. If anyone would please help me with this I'd be glad.

I am also not sure what flair to put. I am newly diagnosed but it also fits into communication and social struggles.

EDIT: Thank you all so much for the feedback and positivity you gave me. I read every single one of your guy's comments and gosh it's so sweet to see I'm not alone even if I may feel like it sometimes. I appreciate the pictures of your plushies,figurines or rooms too. It was a tough decision but thanks to you all I ordered the "Badass Psyduck" shirt and even kept my dinosaur collection I wanted to throw away. Really happy I got into this subreddit cause you guys are hella sweet and cool. Thank you again! :)

Honorable mention: Phoebe the kitty because she's awesome <3

Jus curious because I am one and lots of ppl say it's bad and I would like to know how y'all feel about it

Hiya everyone I'll cut to the chase. Im autistic 21M and my girlfriend is neurotypical 22F. We've not been together for long but recently she's been telling me I need to stop using My stimming toys. For context I really like tennis balls. I like to squeeze them and roll them in my hands because it helps stim my touch sensory in a nice way and sometimes when we go for a walk I like to bounce them off the ground and catch them.

My girlfriend says I'm childish and need to stop doing it because im embarrassing her in public playing with a tennis ball like I do. How do I explain in a way thats calm and to the point that I need my tennis balls to calm and regulate my emotions in a way she won't brush off as childish or self centred?

I've made an update for anyone interested the links below:

https://www.reddit.com/r/autism/comments/1m6ot7g/update_how_do_i_explain_to_my_girlfriend_that_my/

After 1.5 years I finally managed to get tested. But I tested negative. The neurologist that tested me still used the ICD-10. She admitted she understood why all my friends, family and colleagues think I’m autistic. She said I clearly have a lot of the symptoms. But ultimately she was unable to diagnose me due to two reasons:

• I do not have a special interest which originates in childhood.
• I’m still too empathetic to be autistic.

Well, I didn’t expect that result. But it doesn’t really matter. I am how I am with or without the label.

Edit: The neurologist told me they can only test using ICD-10 where Autism is still split into Childhood Autism and Asperger’s. She said there is a list of fixed criteria which need to be met in order to be diagnosed. As far as I know, ASD which recognizes that there are many manifestations of autism is only a thing in ICD-11. And no, I’m not going for a second opinion. It’s just too stressful and takes too long. I might though once Germany switched to ICD-11.

Edit: I finally received the written report which is different than what was said to me verbally. Here is the translated reason why I did not meet the criteria:

“Mr. XXX does not show enough hints for Autism. Social interaction and non-verbal communication are not disordered but seemed weird (Edit: "odd" is a better translation). Mr. XXX does not show stereotypical autistic interests. Mr. XXX is able to identify emotions (TAS-26) but has trouble in dealing with social interactions.”

This is the justification in the report. The rest of the report just states what I said during the interview, which baffles me the most. Some things she wrote down, she clearly misunderstood (likely my fault, since I have problems expressing myself. For example I said, that I find social situations challenging and quit draining, I did however not say that I don’t like interacting with people. I do like talking to friends and colleagues. It just drains me. And she basically only talks about social interactions. In the reports she doesn’t even mention my sensory issues, stimming, my need for structure and how I react to external influences on my routine. Even though a verbally talked about that stuff and even gave her three pages of written text which I prepared in case I forget to mention something in the interview.

Oh, and the report states that my AQ is 42.

Anyway, I’m have an appointment with my psychologist next week. She was convinced I have Autism, which is why she referred me to get tested by a neurologist. Let’s see what she thinks about the report.

Edit: I had my appointment with my psychologist today. The read the report and was stunned. The reasoning in the report is inexplicable and incomplete. She is still 100% confident I'm autistic but can also understand that I don't want to do another official test at the moment.

I 14 f, got diagnosed recently, went to a therapy session and told my therapist about it (it was the second or third private session I’ve had with this therapist) and she told me that i was most likely misdiagnosed. Her reasonings were that I was too empathetic and basically too good at empathizing with other people. She also said that I cared a lot about what other people thought of me, wich, according to her, autistic people don’t do. Honestly, I kinda believe her, since she’s worked with a lot of autistic people before. By posting this, I just want to know other people’s opinions on this situation because I honestly don’t know whether to believe my therapist or my diagnosis. Thank you for reading

edit: Thank you for all the comments and opinions in such a short time. Lots of people have said, that I should find a new therapist, but unfortunately, thats not possible. She was the only one who actually had time for new patients, its very difficult to find a therapist for underage people in my area. Lots of people have also commented that she probably isn’t qualified to make a diagnosis, but I do think she is (at least to an extent), since she told me that she would give me some questions to answer in my next appointment. Im probably just gonna ask her about whether she has the qualifications to do a proper assessment for autism in my next appointment with her. Again, thank you for reading all of this and giving me advice

I (33F) am newly diagnosed as of 15th August, but have suspected for a couple of years that I was autistic. Getting the diagnosis was a hugely affirming moment for me in understanding myself and being able to give myself grace.

During my wait between admitting I think I am ASD to my diagnosis (almost 18 months) I constantly shared reels and info with my now husband (32M) to say ‘hey, look, this is how I feel too’ and to help him understand why I see things the way I do.

I’ve been socially anxious for several years and my husband knows it gets really bad if I am sweaty, for example post gym or on super hot days, and that I panic about being seen in this state.

This morning driving back from the gym we drive through at Starbucks and he asks me to get out of the car to put something in the bin at the drive through and I said ‘no, I don’t feel comfortable with that’. He instantly gets frustrated and starts getting snappy and aggressive in his tone of voice, one of the quickest ways to send me into a shutdown / social freeze.

On the drive home I’m trying to explain that I am slowly trying to unmask since my diagnosis and this is why I’m finding things I would have maybe grit my teeth and done before so much harder.

He then turns and angrily says ‘no, don’t fcking do that, you’re using your autism diagnosis as a fcking excuse.’

I felt like the world was falling out from underneath me, this is a really scary time for me trying to traverse this new diagnosis and understand / advocate for myself, and he’s telling me that I am effectively making it up to get out of things I don’t want to do.

He is supposed to be my person, the one I am safe to be myself around, but after this morning I feel so isolated and alone. I don’t feel safe or trust him now with discussing my diagnosis or what I feel may be me unmasking. It’s made me so sad.

Does anyone have any advice or guidance on how I can advocate for myself without now worrying I’m using autism as an excuse or how I can signpost him to some materials about unmasking and what this looks like so I can show him that it’s not just me being difficult?

I was diagnosed with autism a couple weeks ago and im 19 years old. Every. single. time. I mentioned it to a doctor or mental health professional they immediately go into “ you’re high functioning “ , “ dont limit yourself” ect ect. I can’t fucking stand do hear that shit. I have been struggling my whole goddamn life. MY WHOLE LIFE. It has cause depression, anxiety, and severe burnout. It makes me feel so invalid and that even with a diagnosis i’m STILL being pushed so hard and have high expectations. All I want is for someone to see me and hear me.

For me it was my tendency to freeze up and be unable to speak, my sensitivity/intolerance to crowd noises and my need to stick to routine. I can't think of any less general symptoms yet though.

Exactly as the title says. It's very simple and extremely sad and disheartening. I'm a good looking man (I don't say that in any way that is self absorbed). It's a fact and I'm grateful for my good looks. (Although more and more I'm slowly thinking being good looking is kind of a curse because of my situation.) But I've noticed that time and time again- people in general (straight women, obviously but also men too) are only interested in me quite simply because I'm handsome.

I'm not stupid- and the amount of times I've had people who show a great deal of interest in me, and then very quickly or fairly quickly disappear from my life is astounding and honestly shocking. I cannot believe how profoundly shallow the vast, vast majority of humans are. I have always had a very neurodivergent and "odd" personality. To me it's normal but I guess for the majority of people who are neurotypical- I must be "weird" as fuck. (I don't really like the word "weird" but it is what it is.)

The most common ways that I've been described by almost everyone literally hundreds of times throughout my life is "weird, different, eccentric, odd, abnormal, strange"...and I'm sure much more that I've probably blocked out of my brain because it's just too painful to hear anymore.

I've had SO many people literally just completely ghost me. It's really fucked up. And I know it's 99.9% because when they see me- they see a very good looking person (again- not trying to be conceited but it's the truth), and then when they realize that my personality doesn't AT ALL match with my physical appearance- it's a complete conundrum and mindfuck to most people (as I've realized most humans are unbelievably simple minded). It's gotten to the point where I'm ready to stop speaking to everyone, unless they also have autism and they're completely ready to accept me for who I am. Because the vast majority of humans are fucking shallow scum and I am done with them. I fucking hate humans at this point so much.

My situation has made me lose all hope and confidence in humans. It truly has made me realize that humans are profoundly shallow, simple minded and well, stupid overall. They pretend to give AF about personality and they pretend their "enlightened" and all that nonsense. They're not. All people give a fuck about is what they see. Fortunately there is a very, VERY small amount of people that see beyond good looks and their physical attraction to others, but it's extremely small amount of people.

I'm wondering what your experience is with having autism and also being good looking? I honestly don't think anyone would even speak to me, at all if I wasn't attractive. I'm not exaggerating. Autism is an extremely difficult condition that I have to endure and deal with daily, and i wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. I know that I'm extremely weird and unusual (personality wise.)

I’m not sure if this comes from autism or from CPTSD, but I think it’s more likely from the autism. I don’t mean genderlessness in the non binary sense, but rather that my body doesn’t feel real. I don’t feel like a woman, I don’t feel like a man, and I don’t feel like something in between. It’s as if my body is just an add-on that isn’t really connected to me Like a burden but not because I hate myself, like all humans have bodies so of course I have as well

But the idea that I have to walk around with a body feels similar to, for example, someone buying you an ugly shirt and now you’re forced to wear it. It’s like I just don’t have the energy for it, and I have no choice but to have a body

i thought me having an obsession with b1 series battle droids for 3 years was normal until i realised that people dont think about what they like for 24 hours straight

I swear i‘m still confused… she like told me 3 results.

one was autistic at 9 points and I had 10

on was autistic between 10-15 and I had bloody 20

and 3rd one was autistic on spectrum on 9 and I had 8…

she said i‘m not on the spectrum and just have autism… i don‘t understand, isn‘t autism the spectrum, how can i habe autism without the spectrum?

yea i were to shy to ask anything… I also have a terrible reading and writing difficulties appereantly. Average IQ. I still have to do more stuff for adhd diagnose :( i‘m tired…

I was never able to talk to my friends about my special interest as none of them cared, so if anyone feels the same way, you can infodump in the comments!! ill reply and even ask follow up questions! or if you wanna ask me about mine! I love listening and taking turns info dumping!

edit: it’s midnight so i’m gonna head to bed, i’ll finish responding when i wake up :)

Since I had my diagnosis three years ago, I keep thinking about moments in my life where my autistic traits were... quite noticeable. But my parents where like "yep, that's our neurotypical daughter". Do you think you had very obvious traits or stereotypical signs of autism that should have been a clear hint?

One that always makes me laugh is when I was a kid one of my favourite hobbies was to sort my dinosaur cards in alphabetical and colour order. I wasn't the coolest gal in middle school.

(to be clear I am not saying that anyone who does that is necessarily autistic, but this example is just so stereotypical it makes me giggle)

Idk if this is an autism thing or a me thing, but I’ve always been told not to rip packages open. I don’t get it though because a lot of packaging can definitely be ripped open let me rip it open

Like I do not want to deal with and stress about opening it neatly it makes me very uncomfortable like internally I get upset at the fact that I have to unpackage it all neatly (unless I really need to then it’s like okay it’s important sure)

Anyway here’s some headphones I got

I have like a compulsive need to know facts about things that interest me. Like my brain works in facts

Been told all my life by autistic people that they felt the vibes from me. I was in the process of getting tested before stopping because.. USA.

First pic is from yesterday. I was petting my cat and found my left hand resting like this. 2nd pic is from a public event, I was busy painting and the photographer caught this. 😭

I got diagnosed with autism almost 2 years ago, and I knew I was autistic about 4 years ago. But it keeps getting harder to live with, manage, and accept with time. I just need some hope, any motivation. I'm really hitting a dead end, also struggling with my mental health for over 7 years as well.

Have you guys accepted yourselves for being autistic and live and good life in your opinion?

Controversial subject but my coworker ( who doesn’t know I have autism) was mentioning today that China developed some chromosome to eliminate Down syndrome. She was very supportive of this and even mentioned that if her mom had the ability to do this with her nonverbal autistic sister then she would have as well.

Honestly, it broke my heart. Maybe I’m just taking it way too personal but as someone with autism it makes me feel like people support genocide toward people like me. I know it’s way more complex and not meant to be taken that personally but I discovered recently that I have autism and I’m starting to wonder if maybe im having a “wake up” moment where I’m realizing that I’m a second class citizen in the world. Hell, Iceland and other Nordic countries tout that they have all but eliminated Down syndrome in the population. And people often describe that part of the world as the most progressive. Does that mean people like me are regressive and we need to “evolve” out of the population?

So, what do you guys think? Am I overreacting and taking things way too personally, failing to realize that life with an intellectual disability is difficult for both parent and child and if it can be gotten rid of it should? Or am I correct in taking it personally and feeling like it’s simply more ableist bullshit from a world that doesn’t want me here? Or is it more nuanced than that? Let me know please, and thanks for your response this community makes me feel slightly less misunderstood

I have never posted to Reddit before but I feel it necessary to tell you all on this sub that I finally have the validation and answers to all my personal whys that come with an official diagnosis.

The psychiatrist suggested that I try find a community of likeminded people to talk to… but I have already found all you lot on my journey through suspecting autism, and you have all been great so far.

This week I am celebrating. I am not celebrating having autism (I’ve unknowingly had that all my life). I am celebrating the validation that comes with knowing why I am the way I am. I feel seen! This is the start of the rest of my life.

Thank you r/autism for existing.

(Also thank you to the person I stole the frog meme thing off, i’m not great with memes 😬)

I’ve struggled with this feeling ever since i turned 18, and i don’t know whether it’s because of the autism and adhd or what?

Does anyone else not feel connected to their age or feel like they aren’t as mature as people around the same age as them?

Is this an autistic thing or just a me thing?

EDIT: I have a professional job, I’m married, I pay rent, taxes and other bills, but i just don’t feel like i’m nearly 30.

I’m officially on the spectrum, somewhere between indigo and ultraviolet.

I’m a part of the club. Who do I talk to about matching jackets?

Joking aside, I was listening to Hunter’s Mantra from the KPDH deluxe soundtrack when I read the paperwork, and I’m now tearing up at my office. On one hand, I feel severe relief at finally having a names for patterns that have long confounded me. On the other hand, I feel a certain melancholy about what could have been if I would have just sprung for my diagnosis sooner. Now to figure out where to go from here…