3 Steps to Determine If You Are Autistic

[@Acceleronics]

1. Have suspicions, watch a bunch of videos by autistic youtubers. Think, yeah, that's me. 2. Finally (it took years) make an appointment with an experienced, qualified therapist. 3. After 8 sessions, get the ASD and ADHD diagnosis. 2-for-1! At 65. Took me long enough. The diagnosis and further exposure to channels like yours helped me understand the ways in which neurotypicals are different from me. This has, I think, improved my ability to have good relationships.

[@Horseluvver]

The therapist I see diagnosed me as borderline I showed her my quiz (raads-revised & autism quotient) results but she's the one with the degree I guess. Every time I leave her office I feel so sad...I feel like I did as a child when my mother refused to believe me bc it was inconvenient for her to do so. It's almost like I'm better off without therapy. I'm 62.

[@diosadeamore]

​@Kennedy4OurCountry you're not better off without therapy but better off without that therapist. It can take time to find a good match. Even if you really are borderline only (i myself believe that i am), a therapy session should never leave you feeling undermined. That therapist is not for you 🌺

[@cherylyoke4872]

@@Horseluvverdon’t give up. Find a new therapist. That’s what I did. I’m older than you.

[@ellena6048]

​@@Horseluvverso, I am a therapist and I promise you that many, many therapists have no idea what autism looks like in women our age (I'm 62, as well!). You shouldn't look for a therapist who "agrees" with you, per se. You should look for a therapist who you feel comfortable with when you come to a conclusion together.

[@hayleyball6912]

I've just been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. It was such a relief but at the same time I also felt angry. The diagnosis has explained so much about my life and struggles. School and work have been such a battle for me and now I feel I've been left to figure this out on my own. Thank God for channels like yours, they are life savers! I have got by in life on my own but really I've always needed support especially in the work place. I'm 48 years old!😕

[@selietawilliamson5630]

74 year old here, and just self-diagnosed. It's sad that we didn't have the support have needed but I'm glad I've finally figured out what's been "off" in my life all along.

[@aonain09]

*insert ‘’ah shit, here we go again’’ meme* - need to retake those test lol

[@Sp00nie]

Haha. So relatable. Taken them all (from the site mentioned) five times over the course of the last 8 months. 😅

[@jasonuren3479]

Yep. Did my first test when I was 40 (now 53.) A Facebook friend I knew from school days posted a link to one, the result of which showed she clearly wasn't autistic. Me, however, different story. And the testing and retesting myself with these online tests began. It's incredibly difficult to get an official diagnosis here in UK if you're over 18, so i gave up. When I'd convinced myself, I started researching to find out what it actually is, eventually finding myself here watching and hearing your brilliant advice!

[@embaggins]

i've been considering speaking to a GP about this too, but i've heard the waiting list is 4 years long in the UK 😩 a few weeks ago though my therapist suggested ADHD (unprompted by me) so i figured i might try to follow that path first, then see where it takes me. i doubt even that will be quick though

[@jasonuren3479]

@@embaggins Following up on ADHD definitely worth a go, for sure. 4 years doesn't surprise me at all. The excuse I kept coming up against was, 'well you've managed quite well for 40 years, why do you feel you need an official diagnosis?' Put off at every turn until, as I said, I gave up. Good luck in your quest though, hope it doesn't take too long.

[@octopeople]

It depends to some extent on where you are. I'm currently on a NHS waiting list that is "over 24 months" (including the 6 months from referral to being put on the list? I can only assume no). But I can believe it's 4 years in some places. If ADHD assessment is more accessible (and it might be just as bad), then as I understand it, it's almost the same result for practical purposes. You'd have the same rights to accommodations with either diagnosis, and if you can get any supports, they should be matched to your individual circumstances either way.

[@embaggins]

​@@jasonuren3479 that "excuse" is understandable, and sorta where i'm at too - but i suppose the thing is whether it will give you value in your life to gain this knowledge. will it make you feel better about things that happened in the past, and will it support you in your future and increase your quality of life if you are armed with the knowledge of how to deal with the things you're going through, and knowing when to not give yourself such a hard time about things because you're living in a world that isn't built for neurodivergent people. will it help you better explain your behaviours or reasonings for your choices to the people you love? there's lots of things to think about i suppose. i'm also at the stage of wondering what would be best for me, but honestly, i've been wondering about it for almost four years - that wondering has not stopped in this time, even if sometimes i feel like i cope better than other times. and if i'd actually applied to see a GP about it when i first questioned myself, by now i could have had a diagnosis. sometimes waiting seems like a waste of time, but your life isn't going to stop during that time. and by the time your appointment comes around, be it in months or years time, you might feel differently and want to cancel it - or you might feel even more strongly and desperately want to talk to a doctor about it. ultimately, if you decided to cancel the appointment, there's no harm done either. i guess overall, it's just whether or not you think your life could be better if you knew for sure (also depending on your financial situation, there is always the option to go privately for diagnosis - though costly, it is possibly a less complicated/lengthy option)

[@embaggins]

@@octopeople i have an appointment to see a GP in 5 weeks (just for an initial consultation), so i'm tempted to mention both adhd and autism, but will see how the meeting actually goes first before mentioning the latter lmao - i feel like adhd is more accessible to be diagnosed with tho

[@is2269]

💜 thanks for the tips 👍 i had a little giggle when you said to do research... yup i was researching like crazy and doing all the online tests... my late diagnosed autistic psychologist also showed me the aspie quiz it's great 💜

[@MillaSch]

Besides your great advice: Such great earrings! They look great with your eyes! 😮😊

[@bwarre2884]

I really laughed when you gave advice no.3. I am so used to push myself with everything...

[@BM__8]

I’ve done all of those things AND been officially diagnosed and I still doubt whether I’m autistic every single day 🙃

[@Junierox]

If it makes you feel better, my psychiatrist diagnosed me with ADHD and the undiagnosed autism is now really making her question that diagnosis because she's not used to the autiam/adhd combo. So even professionals doubt themselves 😂

[@JoeyPantaloons]

This makes me feel better LOL

[@looli1327]

@@JunieroxI definitely have ADHD. I also have c-PTSD which complicates things for me but I still have issues pop up and the only thing that keeps coming to me is am I slso autistic bc that’s an explanation

[@Junierox]

@looli1327 They coincide a lot. I've "known" for years that I was likely autistic but when I found out how ADHD can present I thought oh it was actually that! And then it turns out it's probably both 😅. My kid is very similar so the focus has been on them getting resources around it all first

[@LitterboxLegend]

I feel I read all the things and took all the tests which only confirm my suspicion of being autistic, yet my psychologist says they aren't convinced because a lot of my symptoms could be due to trauma (which I have a lot of)... as if you couldn't be autistic and traumatized at the same time 🤨 guess I'll keep fighting, just like I fought for the ADD diagnosis I got today

[@EmL-kg5gn]

Congrats on getting your ADD diagnosis! I hope getting access to any treatment or support you might want is much easier

[@LitterboxLegend]

@@EmL-kg5gnthank you! I can start a medication trial soon so I hope it'll help

[@EmL-kg5gn]

@@LitterboxLegend good luck!! I hope it goes well 💕

[@grrrooth]

thank you so much! I took the aspie quiz and scored 99%! I also like it so much better than those with heavy childhood and/or psychodynamic focus :) so relieved and happy, letting my Different friends know

[@timothywalker4563]

You can be diagnosed but when you hear back from others, that really gets your attention like no other.

[@Thornskade]

Maybe someone can relate to this, but in 2012 my mother informed me and my family that she read an article about the so-called Asperger syndrome and that it sounded a lot like me. We all sort of knew about autism but not that there was a low-support needs version of it. I wasn't fully convinced though, even though we went to a psychologist for consultation and took a test, I ultimately wasn't keen on missing weeks of school just for a diagnosis. In retrospect, that was definitely the wrong decision. It was years later that I realized I really was broken in ways that couldn't be explained by anything 'normal'. I started reading hundreds of articles and watching hundreds of videos about the topic over the course of nearly three years, and by the time I was diagnosed I still wasn't entirely sure if I had it or not. Funny though I'm told that it's kind of ironically a very strong indicator for being autistic, the doubt just never goes away

[@MomontheSpectrum]

🌟 Download my FREE Ultimate Guide to Understanding Autism here: www.momonthespectrum.life/guide

[@amjPeace]

At 71 I'm in no big hurry to get an official diagnosis since my biggest problems stem from my AHDH, but I will say that learning all about autism helps me to be more understanding towards other people in my family who are definitely on the higher end of the spectrum.

[@michellenoneya5159]

Where’s the website that you said would be posted in the description?? I’d love to check it out. Thank you, Taylor!! 🥰💜🙏

[@loniwilliams82]

These were very beneficial 😂 yes I did my research. ❤😅 thanks so much Taylor! 🙏

[@summerdais325]

I just looked for those resources in your description and didn't find them. ❤

[@nickolauspeters]

There in her full length video she took this clip from

[@vitordelima]

This kind of online activity usually attracts some strange people and this is the reason I only interact in public.

[@PamelaW-t8y]

I'm 72 and have wondered for a few years now, 'am I this way because I'm on the autism spectrum?' I've been watching some of your (and other) videos and am still confused. I was married to the same man for 46 years and I suspect he was also on the spectrum. He died in Dec. 2021. Although I miss my husband dearly, I find that I'm not particularly lonely. The lack of loneliness (most of the time) is not at all understood by the other widows in my support group. There are other things that have been talked about in your videos that ring true for me, and I'll not go into specifics here. I took the ASPIE test that you mentioned, and I scored 88% probability of being on the spectrum. I'm retired so I don't have to navigate the workplace anymore and wonder if it even makes sense for me to get a diagnosis at my age. I guess that I would like to just understand some of these "odd" things about myself, because I find it fascinating. I'm pretty much 'ok' with how I am but have some difficulties in a few areas. I think I will continue with these videos and hopefully find community. I suspect I've been "high masking" for a long time and want to delve into that further.

[@Jenna.g.85]

I definitely have trouble putting things into words but if someone says something I’m like “yeah that” darn not sure if the video was cut off but you just said #3 take your time, not sure if you meant to elaborate on that or not

[@EverythingKate]

This is an excerpt from a longer video linked in the description.

[@Jenna.g.85]

@@EverythingKate ah ok thanks

[@mikaelafox6106]

Links are not in the description.

[@chelisue]

I really think I’m autistic but I DO have cptsd and my therapist thinks it’s solely cptsd. I guess it’s possible but I wish someone would just check. I think it would help my therapy to know that for sure when applying therapy. Just sayin

[@PGH0222]

100% on Aspie Quiz and I scored off the charts for the CAT-Q..............ummm..........does this mean I can stop questioning myself????

[@GovilGirl]

Am I missing the links in the description or does she mean watch the other full video that is linked to get the other links?

[@AreWeThereYet-2025]

What tests ? Where is the link ?

[@embaggins]

i imagine the links will be in the original video, which is linked in the description

[@AreWeThereYet-2025]

@@embaggins Nope !.. Nothing I like more than being baited into something and wasting time..

[@crowkraehenfrau2604]

​@@AreWeThereYet-2025she added this in the comments of the longer video..simply forgot

[@akmloves]

I took the tests....then made all my family and friends do it too so I could see what they score in comparison to mine 😂😅 oh boy

[@QueenofSpadesVegan]

I get you have awancerd inconsistency on to many control questions. On the aspsy quiz... I don't get it ... The heack...

[@Type_null14]

Which test should I take? Choice paralysis over here 👈

[@BuckeBoo]

almost 500... lol WUT?!

[@DianeShugart]

Great points but I think it’s also important to follow up self-diagnosis from an online test with a diagnosis from a qualified medical practitioner.

[@BenjaminPlaysRust]

Yes, as soon as you can scrounge up $3,000 for an adult evaluation. The insurance companies won't pay a dime

[@crowkraehenfrau2604]

@@DianeShugart In Germany you very likely be laughed at by the medical profession unless a boy with very big support needs.

[@crowkraehenfrau2604]

As a 65 year old woman I can not help but wonder if it is true, there can't be older autists than elementary school and if it is true there are no female autists.

[@muffinspuffinsEE]

Or if you get bother about the annoying ASMR sound from your mic haha ;)

[@EmL-kg5gn]

How to self-diagnose in 10 steps 1. Attend a psychology lecture in which you are told about the dsm but specifically instructed not to read it or self-diagnose 2. Read the entire dsm and panic about all the things you might have 3. Decide to approach this analytically and write down a list of all your symptoms and abnormalities and rank them according to how much they impact your life. Panic even more when you see how many things are “wrong” with you 4. Go through and check off the symptoms of different neurological conditions based on your results in step 3 and panic again when you see how many there are because you don’t know how to manage that much mental illness 5. Calm down and give an initial ranking to the conditions based on how closely you fit the criteria 6. Starting with those you tick the most boxes for, learn as much as you can from as many reliable sources as possible about these conditions until you can begin to differentiate how symptoms would manifest in each condition (e.g. anxiety as part of GAD, PTSD, phobias etc.) 7. As your understanding of different symptoms and conditions grows rearrange your rankings and add/remove conditions from the list (while possibly panicking again) 8. Keep learning and finally begin to narrow things down while also picking up some strategies that help you. Keep track of which things work so you can use it to help inform your thinking on what you might have 9. Accidentally get diagnosed by a social media algorithm with something you somehow hadn’t considered and then analyse that as well 10. Come to a state of clarity and acceptance about the conditions you believe you have. As a result you’ll finally be willing to say “I think I might have autism” only to be reprimanded for self-diagnosing because of a silly tiktok trend

[@EmL-kg5gn]

Note: Steps 1-4 can be done in a day. Steps 5-10 will take 5-10 years. WARNING: 5-10 years of hours a week devoted to self-diagnosing rather than finding good medical care is… a choice lol. You will learn the hard way that unnecessary distress, the possibility of falling for misinformation and joining toxic groups or echo chambers is why it wasn’t recommended that you self-diagnose. You could seek medical help and learn to self-advocate instead but this can be expensive and also comes with the risk of unnecessary distress, especially as a woman/girl or minority. So you won’t do that anymore after some traumatic experiences. But at the end of self-diagnosing you have to do this anyway if you want treatment beyond self-care! However, you’ll also improve your quality of life thanks to everything you learn. And so, you will be faced with the same dilemma you were at the beginning. Struggle alone or seek help?