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Autistic people have trouble understanding subtle social cues. This can make a variety of social situations difficult, from making friends to getting along with co-workers. Consider if you've experienced things like: Having trouble understanding how another person is feeling (e.g. wondering if they are too sleepy to talk or not) Being told that your behavior was inappropriate, and feeling very surprised to hear this Not realizing that someone is bored of talking and wants to do something else Frequently feeling mystified by other people's behavior While autistic people may feel empathy and care for others, "cognitive empathy" (the ability to figure out what other people are thinking based on social cues such as tone of voice, body language, or facial expression) is usually impaired. Autistic people often struggle with figuring out the subtleties of others' thoughts, and this can lead to misunderstandings. They usually rely on other people to be clear with them. Autistic people might have trouble figuring out what someone's opinion on something is. Detecting sarcasm and lies can be hard, because autistic people may not realize when someone's thoughts are different from what they're verbalizing. Autistic people may not always pick up on non-verbal hints. In extreme cases, autistic people have extreme difficulty with "social imagination" and cannot comprehend that other people have ideas that differ from theirs ("theory of mind".) Autistic people often rely on familiar routines to feel stable and secure. Scheduled changes in routine, unfamiliar new events and sudden changes in plans can be upsetting to autistic people. If you're autistic, you may experience things like: Feeling upset, frightened, or angry about sudden changes in schedule Forgetting to do important things (like eating or taking medication) without a schedule to help you Panicking if things don't happen when they're supposed to Stimming, or self-stimulatory behavior, is much like fidgeting, and it's a type of repetitive movement done for self-calming, focusing, expressing emotions, communication, and coping with difficult situations. While everyone stims, it's especially important and frequent for autistic people. If you haven't been diagnosed yet, your stims may be on the more subtle side. You may have also "unlearned" certain stims from childhood if your stimming was criticized. Flapping or clapping hands Rocking Hugging yourself tightly, squeezing your hands, or piling heavy blankets on yourself Tapping toes, pencils, fingers, etc. Crashing into things for fun Playing with hair Pacing, spinning, or jumping Looking at bright lights, intense colors, or moving GIFs Singing, humming, or listening to a song on repeat Smelling soaps or perfumes Many autistic people have Sensory Processing Disorder (also known as Sensory Integration Disorder), which means that the brain is overly sensitive, or not sensitive enough, to certain sensory input. You may find that some of your senses are amplified, while others might be dulled. Here are some examples: SightBecoming overwhelmed by bright colors or moving objects, not noticing things like road signs, attraction to the sight of hustle and bustle HearingCovering ears or hiding from loud noises such as vacuum cleaners and crowded places, not noticing when people are talking to you, missing things that people say SmellFeeling disturbed or nauseated by smells that don't bother others, not noticing important smells like gasoline, loving strong scents and buying the strongest-smelling soaps and food available TastePreferring to eat only bland or "kid food," eating extremely spicy and flavorful food while disliking anything bland, or disliking trying new foods TouchBeing bothered by certain fabrics or clothes tags, not noticing when people touch you lightly or you are injured, or constantly running your hands along everything VestibularGetting dizzy or sick in cars or on swing sets, or constantly running around and climbing things ProprioceptiveConstantly feeling uncomfortable sensations in your bones and organs, bumping into things, or not noticing when you are hungry or tired Meltdowns, a fight-flight-or-freeze reaction which may be mistaken for tantrums in childhood, are explosions of emotion that occur when an autistic person can no longer keep stress bottled up. Shutdowns are similar in cause, but the autistic person instead becomes passive and may lose skills (such as speaking). You may view yourself as sensitive, hot-tempered, or immature. Executive function is the ability to stay organized, manage time, and transition smoothly. Autistic people often struggle with this skill and may need to use special strategies (such as rigid schedules) in order to adapt. Symptoms of executive dysfunction include: Not remembering things (e.g. homework assignments, conversations) Forgetting to do self-care activities (eating, bathing, brushing hair/teeth) Losing things Procrastinating and struggling with time management Having difficulty starting a task and switching gears Struggling to keep your living space clean Autistic people often have intense and unusual passions, which are called special interests. Examples include fire trucks, dogs, quantum physics, autism, a favorite TV show, and writing fiction. Special interests are notable in their intensity, and finding a new special interest can feel like falling in love. Here are some signs that your passion is stronger than what non-autistics experience: Talking about your special interest for long periods of time, and wanting to share it with others Being able to concentrate on your passion for hours; losing track of time Organizing information for fun, such as charts, tables, and spreadsheets Being able to write/say long and detailed explanations of nuances of your interest, all off of the top of your head, perhaps even quoting passages Feeling excitement and bliss from enjoying your interest Correcting people who are knowledgeable about the subject Being wary of talking about your interest, for fear that you'll annoy people Autism is often associated with difficulties related to spoken language, the degree of which greatly varies from person to person. If you're autistic, you may experience things like: Learning to speak later in life (or not at all) Difficulty speaking or losing the ability to speak, when overwhelmed Word-finding problems Long pauses in conversations so you can think Avoiding difficult conversations because you aren't sure you can express yourself Struggling to understand speech when the acoustics are different, such as in an auditorium or from a movie without subtitles Not remembering spoken information, especially longer lists Needing extra time to process speech (e.g. not reacting in time to commands like "Catch!") While autistic people are capable of abstract thought, they tend to be literal thinkers by nature. Sometimes this is very subtle, especially when the autistic person has developed workarounds and/or their loved ones show understanding. Here are some ways literal thinking can present itself: Not catching sarcasm or exaggeration, or being confused when others are not Misunderstanding figurative language, such as thinking "wrap it up" means "wrap up the package" when the speaker meant "I want you to finish up." Not picking up on subtext, such as when "I don't know if I have enough money" actually means "please pay for my food." Making literal jokes for the amusement of others, such as slapping the pavement when told, "it's time to hit the road." One study found that autistic children have distinct facial characteristicsbroad upper face, big wide-set eyes, a short nose/cheeks area, and a wide mouthin other words, somewhat of a "baby face." You may look younger than your age or be told that you look attractive/adorable. Not every autistic child has each of these facial features. You may only have a few. Unusual airways (double branching of the bronchi) were also found in autistic people. The autistic people's lungs were completely typical, until the double branching at the end of the tubes.
Think about how you react to social cues. Ask yourself if you have trouble understanding other people's thoughts. Consider your responses to unexpected events. Watch yourself to see if you stim. Identify any sensory issues. Consider whether you experience meltdowns or shutdowns. Think about your executive function. Consider your passions. Think about how easy it is for you to talk and process speech. Notice literal thinking. Examine your appearance.