r/AskAutism

I have a brother who is 21 and has autism. He is non-verbal and needs assistance most of the day. He shows symptoms of sun-downing (a term use for people with dementia). He gets aggresive around 6pm and cannot focus or be re-directed. My parents are really struggling and I really do not know what to do. His psychiatrist gave him medication to help but it just seems to worsen it. He cannot sleep or sleeps less than 3 hours a day. Today, my mom was ask to pick him up from school as he was very aggressive and disruptive.

I have tried setting a schedule, lights, shades for his eyes and nothing has worked. This has been going on for around 3 years.

My partner is autistic and I’m neurotypical. I’m doing my best to be a supportive partner. We’ve been together three years and I’m grateful for him.

He almost never asks me questions about my day and life, and basically waits until I volunteer information first. He’ll always listen when I talk, but often when I share key details that I feel would warrant a response or follow up questions, I get nothing. Sometimes, the conversation immediately changes with almost no acknowledgement of what I said.

Earlier today, I was selected as a juror for a court case. On my way back home, my best friend called me to advise he needs open heart surgery due to recent test results.

When I saw my partner after work, he didn’t ask a single question about the jury duty. He heard me on the phone to my friend and I gave him a very short summary and he just said “oh” and then didn’t ask any follow up, share a message of support, etc.

Is this common? Is not asking questions or always expecting me to volunteer info first related to autism? It’s tearing me up a bit.

Hey so I’m a 22M and only recently realised i’m autistic. My entire life I’ve been fighting against my neurodivergence and managed to mask pretty well but I always felt lonely to the core. Recently i got my diagnosis and ive been removing the mask and as a result I’ve definitely been attracting more like-minded neurodivergents. But regardless, this persistent feeling of not quite being satisfied socially doesn’t let up. And the only way to stop it from dragging me down into a black hole is by distracting myself and keeping myself busy and exercising rigorously. It’s a very uncomfortable feeling and I’ve heard someone else refer to something similar to this as cosmic loneliness. Does anyone else experience this? If so, how do you manage it and does it ever completely go away?

Let me preface that my boyfriend is THE BEST boyfriend I have ever had. He knows my needs before I even think about them and would absolutely give me the moon if I asked him for it. With that being said, he’s a talker…

He is super into cars which I know nothing about and I’m not really interested. He will ramble on for what feels like hours about cars, what he wants to do to his car, ways he wants to fix my car, etc. The gag is that he’s told me all of these things a million times and it’s come to a point where I cannot keep faking excitement to make him feel like I care about him what he’s saying. I feel antsy and want to snap at him but, of course, I know that’s not necessarily socially acceptable.

He does the same thing with old stories from his life. I’ve heard them all before but he cycles through the same 9 stories that I’ve heard before! Sometimes I will kindly hint by saying “oh yes I remember this story!” but he doesn’t get the memo and will keep telling me this 7 minute story. My attention span cannot take it!

I don’t want to hurt his feelings by bursting his bubble but oftentimes when people talk about their interests that don’t align with mine or when people share stories that I didn’t live through myself, my lack of care for the discussion makes me physically uncomfortable. I don’t really know how to explain it? The rambling on makes me twitch like LAND THE DAMN PLANE ALREADY.

He is the absolute love of my life and I adore everything about him! The idea of breaking up over this feels so extreme. Please understand that I want to marry this man! I’d be so lucky to be his gal forever and ever. But his ramblings and storytelling is too much for my neurodivergent brain and I don’t know what the solution is :(

TLDR (nice) - my boyfriend rambles about things I already know about or things that don’t interest me
TLDR (mean) - my boyfriend goes on and on about a bunch of shit I don’t care about

i suspect i have autism because theres things about me that i cant really explain or i have trouble doing so. like making new friends, trying new things, why i get so attatched to a certain thing or person , especially people because ive been told im obessesive and weird and its with almost every relationship i have like if someone shows interest with me, i end up doing too much then losing it then lose myself and its a pattern. i also notice patterns in evverything and i have a unique way of thinking when i want to process emotions like in inside out, there's different emotions i have different voices that manage different emotions in my head. their names are persephone, rose, pinkie, athena, reverie and senette. if u want me to get into what they all do then i will. anyways, i also dont know what im feeling most of the time but i know the why, like if something happens im able to describe that and what it may make me do or how i react but the actual feeling.. im not sure of it most the time. i dont know .. i js know i spend a lot of time in my head and it makes me look like im angry or sad but im really just neutral and theres nothing wrong with me. but when i am angry or sad i dont wanna talk to people i just wanna listen to music and stuff.. i prefer being alone and working alone rather than in groups.. its hard for me to keep friends so thats why i dont have much rn and i usually observe people when im in a group setting rather than talking but i will respond if someone talks to me first. sometimes i dont understand what is expected of me because no one tells me and then i get punished for it and im just left hurt and confused. i remember having one friend when i was in pre-k, her name was vaneska and she was white with two front teeth missing and thats like the only friend i remember from when i was that young. and then in first grade i had one close friend, desiree . and then other people id js observe and speak when spoken to. i know this childhood stuff matters, but i cant remember much and if i do come to remember it comes in waves if that makes sense. my mom would be able to say more stuff but she doesnt believe i have any of this stuff and that its a bad thing and she dismissed it the last time i tried telling her. but my dad seemed more open to it. i told him sza has autism and he was surprisd, i told him when her song was playing and i was hinting js bc someone is not ur typical autistic person, it doesnt mean they cant have it. cus its a spectrum and whatknot. i usually feel invalid cus i know im not neurotypical.. i js know it i always feel something wrong and maybe thats why i wanted to end it all, because neurodivergent people usually think in black and white thinking its either all or nothing. in march or april i felt a lot of emotions so i thought why feel anything at all when i could be gone? i didnt rlly think it thru cus it would affect everyone around me and im not like that anymore i swear.. its also sum that comes in waves. i cry for no reason sometimes too. and like im very self aware so it may seem like im okay but i think thats just me masking it . i also stim a lot like i spin, go back n forth, kick my leg rapidly, and when i lay down i brush my foot with my other foot if that makes sense. and since i was young i always bit the inside of my mouth and this one time my dad noticed it when we were in the bathroom but ig he aint think much of it and i dont blame him. and my mom would notice the white cast itd leave but she'd think it was cus i didnt brush right and thats far from the truth. i js dont tell her. i wanna be able to tell them this stuff but im always scared of how they react and i wanna just avoid it.. and theres so much stuff i can write about how ive been over the years but i think this is enough for now... so heres the test score i did cus i feel they'd be relevent alongside this personal account . and mb its not like perfect. anyways:

\* AQ: 33/50 — just over the commonly used 32 threshold.
\* RAADS-R: 143/240 — substantially elevated.
\* Aspie Quiz: 143/200 — strongly weighted toward the neurodivergent end.
\* CAT-Q: 142/175 — this is very high.
\* TAS-20: 64/100 — elevated alexithymia traits.

so yea.. idk if any of these things point to autism automatically, but i feel its consistent enough for me to have a reasonable suspicion of having it. ive been researching this for months now

When I was a kid and a teen I had maladaptive daydreaming in which I imagined being a character with a different life. I am a millennial and when I was 18 I created a Facebook account for a character I imagined being and this was like a roleplay account where all the real people “I” interacted with through this characters were the “pnj”, they were friends of this character. I realized it was terrible and gave myself trauma with that. I was saved thanks to real roleplay like dungeon and dragon in which everyone build a story together and know it’s fiction, and I stopped.

Recently I had a dream that was so vivid that I felt was real. It is often the same themes. And in that dream I was writing an AITA (am I the asshole) about a situation that happened in the dream. So when I woke up, I felt the need to write it for true and actually did it (I deleted it since), and I feel like I am falling back into toxic way of “daydreaming”.

Why I type all this in an autistic group ? Because my doctor think I am autistic. However I often read that “autistic people can’t lie”. So I am wondering. Does faking being a different character negate the possibility of being autistic ?

(I really need to force myself not to do that again because it is extremely unhealthy and dishonest, and if I start again, then it becomes like a drug and it becomes hard to stop).

Ive had a discussion with another of my autistic friends and we both agreed on not knowing anyone that is on the spectrum but DOESNT like frogs, ducks and/or spiders.

So question, do u know someone who is on the spectrum and does not like cute lil frogs/ducks/spooders

TL;DR: I’m realizing I have strong reason to believe I have autism and ADHD, and I wanna get tested. Any advice?

Hi everyone! 😅❤️

I’m 29M and over the last few months — especially the last few days — I’ve started seriously wondering whether I might be autistic, possibly with ADHD as well.

I want to be very clear upfront: I am not diagnosed, I’m not claiming that I definitely am autistic, and I’m planning to pursue a professional evaluation. I’ve previously been diagnosed with Social Anxiety Disorder, and for years I assumed that explained most of my difficulties. Lately I’ve been realizing that it probably does explain some of them, but maybe not the whole picture.

And honestly, realizing that has been incredibly relieving. 😅 It feels less like “something is wrong with me” and more like “ohhhh… maybe this is just how my brain works, and there may actually be a framework for understanding it.”

Some of the things that have made me wonder:

Social interaction has never felt intuitive to me. I consciously think about what I’m supposed to say, rehearse conversations beforehand, replay them afterward, and often need extra time to process what someone meant.

I miss hints and flirting constantly, sometimes misunderstand sarcasm/jokes, and generally prefer very direct communication.

Group conversations are difficult. I often either say nothing because I can’t find the right moment to speak, or interrupt because I’m afraid I’ll lose the thought. Sometimes I’ll finally respond to something that was said several minutes ago because I was still processing it.

I feel like I’ve learned a lot of social behaviour analytically by observing other people and reusing what works. I act somewhat differently around different groups, and maintaining that can be tiring.

Eye contact feels uncomfortable and distracting, and I consciously regulate it.

I hate small talk and am much more comfortable talking about something specific or meaningful.

I also have a very strong need for predictability and routine.

Unexpected changes can genuinely upset me, even when I intellectually know they aren’t a big deal. Once I’ve found a system or procedure that works, I can become very rigid about wanting it done that way. I’m very analytical, perfectionistic, obsessed with internal consistency, classifications, definitions, systems, rules, edge cases, etc.

That has caused some real problems at work. I’m a brewer at a craft brewery, and I’ve realized that I can get very attached to specific workflows/processes and sometimes dismiss other people’s ideas too quickly because I already know “my way” works. I’m actively working on being more collaborative and delegating more.

My interests can also get very intense.

Music is probably the biggest example. I’m a musician and producer, and my brain automatically analyzes music whether I want it to or not — harmony, melody, rhythm, arrangement, production, timbre, mix, everything. If there’s background music playing somewhere, I often literally cannot tune it out. Certain music in public spaces can become so mentally exhausting that I struggle to follow conversations or focus on anything else.

On the other hand, music I love can be incredibly regulating and stimulating.

I also hyperfocus heavily on brewing systems, gear, music theory, composition, spreadsheets/rankings, gaming systems, classifications, etc. I’ll build ridiculously elaborate systems around hobbies for no practical reason other than because understanding the system feels good. 😅

At the same time, I have a lot of traits that make me wonder about ADHD too:

I procrastinate important but boring tasks for ridiculous amounts of time.

I start ambitious projects with huge enthusiasm and leave many unfinished.

I can focus intensely for hours if I’m interested, but struggle badly with things that don’t interest me.

I lose track of time.

I get distracted by my own thoughts.

I have trouble switching tasks.

I forget administrative things even when they’re genuinely important.

I need novelty and stimulation, while somehow also desperately needing structure and predictability. 😂

Sensory-wise, sound is by far the biggest thing, but I’m also sensitive to some smells, textures, bright lighting, crowded environments, unexpected physical touch, and temperature. I fidget/stim a lot — bouncing my legs, pacing, tapping, rocking, playing with objects, repeating phrases/sounds, humming, whistling, etc.

Emotionally, I care very deeply about people, but I often struggle to figure out exactly what I’m feeling or what someone else is feeling unless I analyze it. Writing is much easier than speaking for me. I can have a huge emotional reaction internally while appearing fairly composed externally.

Childhood history is another thing that made me take this more seriously. Looking back, I was always very intense about my interests, preferred one-on-one friendships, spent huge amounts of time alone with music/video games/collections, had strong routines, was very rule-conscious, corrected adults/teachers when I thought they were wrong, was a picky eater, had some sensory sensitivities, and often felt socially different from other kids.

Adults usually described me as some combination of shy, stubborn, sensitive, intelligent, eccentric, or “set in my ways.”

I also had some later-than-average toileting/bedwetting issues as a kid and longstanding GI issues, which I understand are not diagnostic of autism at all, but I’ve read that they can sometimes coexist with neurodevelopmental conditions.

One of the biggest things for me is this:

If my social anxiety magically disappeared tomorrow, I still don’t think social interaction would suddenly make complete sense to me. I would still struggle with timing, knowing what to say, reading people, interpreting hints, and figuring out what response is socially expected sometimes.
That’s what really made me think, “Okay… maybe anxiety isn’t the whole explanation here.”

I’ve also realized that I’ve been unconsciously masking/compensating a lot over the years. I’ve gotten better socially, but it feels like I got better by learning the rules, not because it suddenly became intuitive.

Right now I’d say I strongly identify with autistic and ADHD experiences, but I’m keeping that distinction between self-identification and diagnosis very clear. If a professional eventually tells me I’m not autistic or don’t have ADHD, and gives me a different explanation that fits better, I’m completely open to that too.

I mostly feel relieved and fascinated. 😅 It feels like my entire life has suddenly been retroactively re-contextualized.

So I guess I’m curious about a few things:

For those diagnosed as adults, did you go through a similar “holy crap, this explains everything” phase?

Does any of what I’ve described sound familiar to you?

How did you approach getting assessed as an adult?

What helped you while waiting for an evaluation?

How did you decide who to tell?

Did diagnosis change how you handled work, relationships, sensory issues, masking, etc.?

If you also have AuDHD, how do you manage the weird combination of craving both consistency and novelty? 😅

Is there anything you wish you had known at the beginning of the process?

I’d really appreciate any perspectives, whether that’s “this sounds familiar,” “this could be ADHD/anxiety rather than autism,” “you should definitely get evaluated,” or anything else.

I’m not looking for Reddit to diagnose me. I’m just really curious to hear from people who actually live with this stuff.
Thanks for reading if you made it this far. 😅❤️

i suspect i have autism because theres things about me that i cant really explain or i have trouble doing so. like making new friends, trying new things, why i get so attatched to a certain thing or person , especially people because ive been told im obessesive and weird and its with almost every relationship i have like if someone shows interest with me, i end up doing too much then losing it then lose myself and its a pattern. i also notice patterns in evverything and i have a unique way of thinking when i want to process emotions like in inside out, there's different emotions i have different voices that manage different emotions in my head. their names are persephone, rose, pinkie, athena, reverie and senette. if u want me to get into what they all do then i will. anyways, i also dont know what im feeling most of the time but i know the why, like if something happens im able to describe that and what it may make me do or how i react but the actual feeling.. im not sure of it most the time. i dont know .. i js know i spend a lot of time in my head and it makes me look like im angry or sad but im really just neutral and theres nothing wrong with me. but when i am angry or sad i dont wanna talk to people i just wanna listen to music and stuff.. i prefer being alone and working alone rather than in groups.. its hard for me to keep friends so thats why i dont have much rn and i usually observe people when im in a group setting rather than talking but i will respond if someone talks to me first. sometimes i dont understand what is expected of me because no one tells me and then i get punished for it and im just left hurt and confused. i remember having one friend when i was in pre-k, her name was vaneska and she was white with two front teeth missing and thats like the only friend i remember from when i was that young. and then in first grade i had one close friend, desiree . and then other people id js observe and speak when spoken to. i know this childhood stuff matters, but i cant remember much and if i do come to remember it comes in waves if that makes sense. my mom would be able to say more stuff but she doesnt believe i have any of this stuff and that its a bad thing and she dismissed it the last time i tried telling her. but my dad seemed more open to it. i told him sza has autism and he was surprisd, i told him when her song was playing and i was hinting js bc someone is not ur typical autistic person, it doesnt mean they cant have it. cus its a spectrum and whatknot. i usually feel invalid cus i know im not neurotypical.. i js know it i always feel something wrong and maybe thats why i wanted to end it all, because neurodivergent people usually think in black and white thinking its either all or nothing. in march or april i felt a lot of emotions so i thought why feel anything at all when i could be gone? i didnt rlly think it thru cus it would affect everyone around me and im not like that anymore i swear.. its also sum that comes in waves. i cry for no reason sometimes too. and like im very self aware so it may seem like im okay but i think thats just me masking it . i also stim a lot like i spin, go back n forth, kick my leg rapidly, and when i lay down i brush my foot with my other foot if that makes sense. and since i was young i always bit the inside of my mouth and this one time my dad noticed it when we were in the bathroom but ig he aint think much of it and i dont blame him. and my mom would notice the white cast itd leave but she'd think it was cus i didnt brush right and thats far from the truth. i js dont tell her. i wanna be able to tell them this stuff but im always scared of how they react and i wanna just avoid it.. and theres so much stuff i can write about how ive been over the years but i think this is enough for now... so heres the test score i did cus i feel they'd be relevent alongside this personal account . and mb its not like perfect. anyways:

* AQ: 33/50 — just over the commonly used 32 threshold.
* RAADS-R: 143/240 — substantially elevated.
* Aspie Quiz: 143/200 — strongly weighted toward the neurodivergent end.
* CAT-Q: 142/175 — this is very high.
* TAS-20: 64/100 — elevated alexithymia traits.

so yea.. idk if any of these things point to autism automatically, but i feel its consistent enough for me to have a reasonable suspicion of having it. ive been researching this for months now

Hello, im very new here and im looking to see if anyone's child has had a similar story to mine.

My son just turned 3 and is nonverbal. He was diagnosed with level 2 autism and global development delay in March 2026.

When he was born I felt something was off but couldn't tell what exactly. He would arch his back very aggressively as a new born onward. The pediatrician said it was acid reflux but I felt like it was something more, I just had nothing to show for it.

In his first year he hit every milestone on time (not early or late). His eye contact and responding to his name wasn't great but it was there so I just kept hoping for the best.

Then as we approached 18 months... still no words. Babbling like crazy, different tones but zero words.

Then after 2 came more noticeable autism signs like toe walking, hand flapping, eye squinting etc.

Anyone else's child not go through a regression? And if they were nonverbal, did then develop conversational speech at some point?

Thank you to anyone who responds, I feel so lost.

Hi there,

I live in an apartment building with my flatmate and I have lived here for just over a year and my flatmate has lived here for around 3 years.

We have a family above us; mum, dad and 2 boys. From what me and my flatmate have seen and heard, we’ve assumed the youngest child has severe autism due to the fact he doesn’t speak and only make loud humming noises, sometimes it sounds quite distressing. He also always stomps or bangs on the floor or the stairwell railing and railing outside the french windows our building has, consistently everyday. The family has never told us if he is autistic so we are just assuming due to these things.

He gets taken to, what we have assumed, is some sort of school but it’s occasionally, never everyday but other than that he is never out of the flat and it sounds like he is always in the same room.

A few weeks ago, we heard the mother and older boy having a very loud argument. He was saying things along the lines of hating her and him leaving and her being the reason for that but it was very loud and heated.

Both me and my flatmate have gone up on different occasions about the noise. When I went up, the older son was outside in the hallway and I ended up talking to him since neither parents came to the door. When my flatmate went up, the mother talked to her and immediately got very defensive and was saying my flatmate was accusing her of things when all my flatmate asked was just if there was anything that could be done about the noise.

Taking all these things into consideration (the kid always being stuck at home, the constant stomping (which i believe is him stimming which i read is caused by stress or fear), the mum being very defensive and then the recent arguments) I’ve considered possibly calling about getting a welfare check sent to the flat as I’ve been getting slightly concerned about the whole situation however thought it would be best to get some other opinions as neither me nor my flatmate have any experience with autism.

Note: I’m sorry I couldn’t include more gender identities as response options - the poll has a limit on how many options I can add. If your gender identify isn’t listed here, please feel free to share it in the comments if you’re comfortable doing so :), if you don’t feel comfortable sharing your identity you can just comment yes or no as well :)

View Poll

For autistic people: does this sound familiar? Knowing you need to do something but feeling unable to start?

I'm trying to understand the behaviour of someone I know, and I'm particularly interested in hearing from autistic people about whether this is something you've experienced.

This person is an adult and currently lives at home. They have difficulty taking steps toward independence or "moving forward" such as finding a part-time/casual job or learning to drive for example is very difficult for them.

What confuses me is that they don't necessarily seem unaware of the problem. They seem to know they need to make progress and can sometimes express frustration about not doing so. But when these topics are brought up, they can become very anxious, shut down, and become unable to engage with the conversation.

I'm not asking whether you think this person is autistic, and I'm not trying to diagnose them. I realise these behaviours can have many explanations.

I'm interested in understanding whether autistic people experience anything like this, particularly the feeling of knowing that you need/want to do something but being unable to initiate it, or becoming overwhelmed when the subject is raised.

If you've experienced this yourself, what does it feel like from the inside? And what do you find helpful from other people versus what makes the situation worse?

Hello! Apologies that this is long. I'm an over explainer but I've tried to cut this down. I have read the rules and hope this doesn't fall under inappropriate ABA, I'm not posting here to be told it's right, I just want to better understand the changes that supposedly have been implemented, what practices they haven't modified, and what I should watch for, to meet the recommendations of the Autistic community.

TLDR: I worked with an amazing RBT (registered behavioral technician) in a classroom, and her supervisor approached me about joining his team as an RBT - which would pay $3/hr what I'm making now! But in googling to learn more I'm seeing that they're trained to use ABA practices by a BCBA. I don't want to participate in abusive ABA practices and I don't understand how it's supposedly changed. Even if I do not do this training (which I'm leaning against), I have to continue working with RBTs and I feel like I need to better understand how it's implemented, what I need to watch for to help ensure my students rights are respected, etc.

I'm a disabled, neurodivergent (possibly Autistic myself?) adult, and in Feb, I began working in a school as a Parapro in a self-contained "CI" classroom, Y5-1st grade (but only 1 child was CI, and the other 5 were Autistic). All of these students were non-verbal and/or had very limited communication (I know these labels can be problematic, but for explanations sake, likely considered Level 2 or 3). Before Covid, I was a social worker in child welfare for 15 years, first working with mostly older kids and teens with special (emotional, behavioral, physical, & cognitive) needs, and then as a parent educator running a family preservation program. I'm underemployed (and underpaid) in this position, but I love working with this population, and am good at it. My kids go to the same school I work at - which is a huge bonus!

Every child enrolled in my classroom had participated in ABA outside of school. I know nothing about the "new style" of ABA, and have formed my opinion on ABA in general by listening to Autistic adults who completed ABA prior to the supposed changes being implemented. I haven't been able to find information on how ABA has been changed.

The last two months of school we had a new staff start as an RBT, who was phenomenal at working with our most behaviorally challenging kindergartner (my favorite little boy!). Her degree was in language & communication but she had worked at an ABA center and then got certified for the school to be an RBT.

She embodied the epitome of wonderful care for this student. She has an older sibling who is Autistic that she is extremely involved with and obviously loves. She respected my student for exactly who he is as an individual, didn't try and stop him stimming, didn't try and force him to "act neurotypical" - she just worked at helping his behaviors be safe. A lot of his behaviors were fed by frustration over not being able to express his needs and wants. Some examples of things she was working towards: not throwing metal water bottles and other children's AAC around the room, using his AAC and spoken words to communicate (he voiced occasionally to me prior to her starting, and was minimally using his AAC around requesting food, but after 2 months with her he was proudly using his AAC all the time, multiple word sentences, and speaking). Her main goal was getting him to stop eloping out of the school, classrooms, and playground. One of the ways she did this was by helping him ask to play a chase game in the gym, rather than running away from staff and eloping out of classrooms and the building.

None of what I witnessed her doing was anything I would consider inappropriate, abusive, or coercive. This little boy thrived under her support and was always excited to see her and so proud of himself for the way he was progressing in his communication and behavior.

When her supervisor came to observe/help, he told me I would make a great RBT. Now I'm getting emails from my school districts union about how we need more RBTs - and how much better the pay is - it would take me 5 years to reach that pay tier as a parapro!! I'm not even sure if this job would be feasible with my physical limitations (hypermobility spectrum disorder), but I don't even feel I can look into it until I better understand RBT and the "new ABA" and have heard from Autistic voices. My RBT friend and I talked about this and she felt similarly, that she didn't understand if things were better these days.

I've tried to Google and find out more. When I've talked to my Autistic friends (who also have Autistic kids), they've (understandably) opted their kids out of ABA. It seems the only adult Autistic voices I've been able to find to hear from, are not those people who have gone through the new ABA, or sent their kids to it.

I would love any resources or information, or personal experiences. I want to always advocate for the best interests of my students!

If this isn't the right group to ask this, please let me know if a better one.

Thanks!

I’ve tried to research about the topic but I’m torn. I do create elaborate fantasies (excuses, fears etc) in my mind or have intrusive thoughts that are absurd. I am 60 40 that I’m not but it could be a fear of being ND

So I have a person (adult male) super brilliant with things he loves yet its astounding sometimes how little he knows about some basic things. Example, I used an electric can opener and he said wow! That is the coolest thing I6 ever seen! He was fascinated. It doesn't happen very often and I realize it may partly do to the isolation some people live with. Can this be an autism thing? He believes he has adhd and depression (due to lonliness) .In 30 years, he how's had very few friends like a handful. Yes, I know a lot of people don't have friends. But when observing him, even though he says he can read body language and he communicates well, when he's around, people doesn't matter who they are, unless it's me and they asked him a question like how he's doing or what's new. He literally says nothing -never shares and moves on to how are they doing? He will also go into kind of a panic overwhelmed mode When he's left out of a group of people,.he was always in special Ed, but he would do so well they would try to put him into regular classes, and he would fail yet in high school, he had a 4.0, he fidgets a ton blanks out frequently staring, saying he's bored or thinking of nothing. Again, it's the simple everyday tasks that you know your parents taught you, I know his parents -washing your hair well, making sure your clothes fit well. Please be kind.I'm just trying to help my person.When you look at the differences between add and autism , he is very much more autistic and no , he will not see a professional , he doesn't think it would do any good.

I am 18 living in Ontario. I was diagnosed with autism in 2019, I also struggle with severe anxiety and depression which has affected many things in my life including my social skills and my independence most of all. I heavily rely on support people when I am out in public, at school, etc.

I just turned 18 in March, but I still rely on my parents for everything. I don’t have my own money which makes it difficult when I need things and makes me feel bad considering we are already living in a low income household.

I want to be able to work so I can gain more independence, and also so I will have something to keep myself occupied once I am finished school.

I would not do well in an environment where I have to work directly with the public, as my social anxiety is a barrier and I just don’t do well around lots of people in general.

I also get overwhelmed and overstimulated really easily and I worry about being in an environment where people wouldn’t understand me and I can’t get out of.

If anyone has any advice at all anything helps!