{"id":30,"date":"2019-11-06T14:03:22","date_gmt":"2019-11-06T14:03:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/?page_id=30"},"modified":"2021-12-31T12:06:24","modified_gmt":"2021-12-31T12:06:24","slug":"diagnosis-lived-experience","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/diagnosis-lived-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"Could I be autistic?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/man-looking-at-bulbs-back-1024x473.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-31\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/man-looking-at-bulbs-back-1024x473.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/man-looking-at-bulbs-back-300x139.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/man-looking-at-bulbs-back-768x355.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3>By Autistic Phoenix<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h1>FAQ: Could I be&nbsp;Autistic?<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h2>Introduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This FAQ page is intended to provide brief answers to questions that you might be asking yourself if you think that you might be autistic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am writing here for people like me who have come to that realisation late in life. I\u2019ve written some examples below about how you might have come to question that there might be something about you that is causing you ongoing distress &amp; that hasn\u2019t yet been fully explained. These examples are *not* the diagnostic criteria for Autism, but are just examples of the sorts of things that might have led you here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>One or more episodes of feeling exhausted and wanting to give up, or hide from life, possibly diagnosed as depression or stress, that don\u2019t seem to have any particular cause, or that you can relate to being \u201cfinally brought on\u201d by a certain event, or just feeling more and more exhausted as time goes on.<\/li><li>Anxiety when you\u2019re in social situations, or imagining social situations. A social situation isn\u2019t necessarily being face to face; it can be when you\u2019re \u201cinvolved\u201d in something on social media for example, and you\u2019re anxious about what you should say to others.<\/li><li>Getting easily stressed and\/or exhausted when you *are* face to face with people. Perhaps getting very irritated by \u201cloud\u201d people, or just wishing that people would leave you alone; craving a quiet place.<\/li><li>Repeatedly \u201cgetting stuck in your thoughts\u201d in a way that causes you distress. For example, imagining things that you don\u2019t want to imagine, or going over past events and getting anxious about whether or not you did the right thing. Perhaps you\u2019ve been for therapy in relation to this, which may or may not have helped.<\/li><li>Difficulties with sensory things like sounds, light, touch, tastes, smells, that don\u2019t seem to bother other people.<\/li><li>A difficulty with talking about your feelings, or even knowing yourself how you are feeling about something.<\/li><li>People keep telling you \u201cYou think too much!\u201d, \u201cYou need to get out more!\u201d, \u201cYou\u2019re too sensitive!\u201d, \u201cYou\u2019re just you! Everyone is different!\u201d, \u201cStop worrying about it!\u201d<\/li><li>You find that when you\u2019re absorbed in doing something, all of your worries go away and you zone out of what\u2019s going on around you (physically, emotionally, circumstantially). It\u2019s your favourite place.<\/li><li>When you\u2019re out an about, you spot things that others don\u2019t notice. They aren\u2019t even interested when you point these things out. Perhaps you\u2019ve learned to keep them to yourself.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Note that the above is not a complete list, and again is not a set of diagnostic criteria; it\u2019s just a lead-in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Q: Where can I get a good online test for Autism?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3>A1: The AQ50.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you ask a bunch of autistic people, most would probably point you initially to the test called the AQ50 \u2013 a fifty question test that calculates your Autism Quotient (AQ). There are many places online to get this, and putting AQ50 into your favourite search engine will provide lots of links along with more details about it. It won\u2019t take you long to complete, so if you\u2019re wondering about it \u2013 go and do it now!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>A2: The EQ50.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The EQ50 is probably the second test that autistic people would point you to. Like the AQ50, it\u2019s a 50 question test and available in lots of places online. This reports on your Empathy Quotient (EQ50).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Q: I\u2019ve taken the AQ50 and EQ50. Are there some other tests that would give me some more detail?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3>A: Yes, quite a few<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There are quite a few other tests, again available online, that would give you a different perspective and\/or highlight some specific areas. These are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>The&nbsp;<strong>Aspie Quiz<\/strong>&nbsp;at&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/rdos.net\/\">rdos.net<\/a>. If you like detail and graphical output, and are willing to answer the hundred or so questions, go and have a look. I found this one a great way to compare my profile with other people, including people I knew to have autism and people I knew not to have autism.<\/li><li>The&nbsp;<strong>Adult Asperger Assessment<\/strong>&nbsp;at&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.autismresearchcentre.com\/\">Autismresearchcentre.com<\/a>. This one is presented in an Excel workbook and is designed to be \u201cadministered\u201d by a clinician. You can do it yourself, but it needs a bit of thought when using it because you have to pretend to be the clinician and lock\/unlock sheets etc. However, it is very comprehensive and, if you\u2019re in the UK, should be recognised by your GP as it is recommended by the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nice.org.uk\/\">NICE<\/a>&nbsp;guidelines.<\/li><li>Also at Autism Research Centre, is a&nbsp;<strong>huge list of other downloadable tests<\/strong>:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.autismresearchcentre.com\/arc_tests\">https:\/\/www.autismresearchcentre.com\/arc_tests<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>Q: I\u2019ve taken the tests and score way above \/ way below the \u201cthreshold\u201d. Does this mean that I\u2019m definitely \/ definitely not autistic?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3>A: Not necessarily, but maybe<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This is where things get a bit more subtle. None of the tests is perfect, and each one can suggest that you\u2019re autistic when you\u2019re not, and indicate that you\u2019re not autistic when you are. Experts in diagnosis quantify these aspects of tests by using these two similar-sounding terms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Sensitivity<\/li><li>Specificity<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The more&nbsp;<em>sensitive<\/em>&nbsp;a test is, the more likely that it will indicate a \u201cyes\u201d for every person who has the condition being looked for. Unfortunately, a test with 100% sensitivity (i.e. one that would leave no-one falling through the cracks) is likely to have very poor&nbsp;<em>specificity<\/em>. This means that the test would give a \u201cyes\u201d to many people who *didn\u2019t* have the condition (the test is not \u201cspecific\u201d to only those who definitely have the condition). In the extreme, you could imagine a test with 100% sensitivity and 0% specificity as one where they simply throw your answers in the bin and say \u201cYes, you have X\u201d to everyone!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Real-world tests are designed to achieve an optimum balance of sensitivity and specificity. This is particularly tricky in the case of tests for autism, because understanding of the condition is forever evolving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Q: I always do \/ notice \/ struggle with X. Does this mean that I\u2019m definitely autistic?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3>A: Not necessarily, but maybe<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the difficulties with diagnosing autism is that many of the signs of autism can also be signs of other conditions, or no condition at all. For example, having difficulty with holding conversations in crowded &amp; noisy places can be a result of having autism, but can also be a result of hearing impairments. As another example, being obsessive about the way a room is furnished and arranged and agitated if someone disturbs it, can be a sign of autism, or could equally indicate an obsessional disorder, or simply indicate that you\u2019re fussy about your environment!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is why the diagnosis process puts a lot of effort into something called&nbsp;<em>differential diagnosis<\/em>; before a diagnosis of autism is made, a lot of checking will be done to make sure that the signs don\u2019t indicate something else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Q: Isn\u2019t everyone a bit autistic?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3>A: No<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve put this question here because the answer is strongly related to the answer above; many people will have&nbsp;<em>something about them<\/em>&nbsp;that is common to them and another person with autism, but that doesn\u2019t mean that they are autistic too. This is still the case&nbsp;<em>even if the thing they have in common is a feature that is more prevalent amongst autistic people than in the general population<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s easy to fall into the trap illustrated by the following statement: \u201cI\u2019ve noticed that many cats have blue eyes, and I have blue eyes too, therefore I must be a cat!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or, to make it less extreme and illustrate how easy it is to draw the wrong conclusions, \u201cMy friend has been diagnosed with autism, and he was telling me yesterday how he gets tired at parties so much more quickly than everyone else and just wants to go home. I get this too so I think that maybe I\u2019m a little bit autistic.\u201d The explanation here is that the autistic person\u2019s un-diagnosed friend&nbsp;<em>could indeed be autistic<\/em>, or,&nbsp;<em>simply doesn\u2019t enjoy parties and isn\u2019t getting enough sleep!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I could list examples like this for all of the signs of autism &amp; the same logic would apply. Autism is a condition that results in&nbsp;<em>a&nbsp;<strong>defined collection<\/strong>&nbsp;of signs all present in the same person<\/em>, not just one or two of them. In an autistic person, autism is the cause of these signs: in other people, it\u2019s something else or just random.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a final example, no-one can be a little bit pregnant, but many people can experience at least some of the signs of pregnancy such as nausea, weight gain, tiredness, back ache\u2026\u2026.. And some people can experience a little bit, or a lot of, these signs. In some people, this is&nbsp;<em>because they are pregnant<\/em>, but in others it\u2019s something else or nothing at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are some excellent resources around that explain how autism can be a spectrum at the same time as being separated from its opposite in a binary yes\/no way. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-wordpress wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-the-aspergian\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/theaspergian.com\/2019\/05\/04\/its-a-spectrum-doesnt-mean-what-you-think\/\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>and<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-wordpress wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-the-art-of-autism\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"4LSExvlBkC\"><a href=\"https:\/\/the-art-of-autism.com\/understanding-the-spectrum-a-comic-strip-explanation\/\">Understanding the spectrum &#8211; a comic strip explanation<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Understanding the spectrum &#8211; a comic strip explanation&#8221; &#8212; The Art of Autism\" src=\"https:\/\/the-art-of-autism.com\/understanding-the-spectrum-a-comic-strip-explanation\/embed\/#?secret=4LSExvlBkC\" data-secret=\"4LSExvlBkC\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Autistic Phoenix FAQ: Could I be&nbsp;Autistic? Introduction This FAQ page is intended to provide brief answers to questions that you might be asking yourself if you think that you might be autistic. I am writing here for people like me who have come to that realisation late in life. I\u2019ve written some examples below &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/diagnosis-lived-experience\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read more\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Marie","author_link":"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/author\/marie\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":null,"rttpg_excerpt":"By Autistic Phoenix FAQ: Could I be&nbsp;Autistic? Introduction This FAQ page is intended to provide brief answers to questions that you might be asking yourself if you think that you might be autistic. I am writing here for people like me who have come to that realisation late in life. I\u2019ve written some examples below&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/30"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/30\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1745,"href":"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/30\/revisions\/1745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ndsa.uk\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}