i think i might have autism

latelyy, ive been suspecting that i have autism, but im not sure and i dont want to self-diagnose myself..

well since i was young, i never fit in. in kindergarten i often was alone im pretty sure (i used to follow girls around to be their friend) and i could only speak english somehow at the time and couldn’t speak my home languange, so it was hard. i dont remember much from my kindergarten years, but i do remember that i was a loner, but my mom never saw any signss. so moving on to primary school, i think i showed signs but again im not suree?? in 1st grade, i genuinely couldn’t make friends, coudln’t socialize. even the first friend i hadsince 1st grade told me i was just.. standing outside of class with my posture like a mannequin, face dull, and looking like some lost kid when she saw me​:sob: alsoo even when i had friends, i’d always choose to stay in my seat and not bother them because i was too scared and i overthinked stuff too much, so i ended up never talking to them while my heart was beating 10m/h cause i was nervous and felt like evryone was judging me. i was also really struggling with social cues, apparently it was hard for me to control my facial expressions too so people thought i was mad or sad for some reason?? i used to stay unusually quiet whenever i wanted to talk or come up to someone but ended up just being in my seat, i tend to fidget alot and it is genuinely from anxiousness i think, and id get tons of sensory issues in class when that happened. and as of now i still act like that, and i dont know why. i try to fit in but it just never works :frowning: . i swear i really try to be “normal” but i feel so alien whenever i talk. i also never had a special interest but i would have interests that genuinely consumed my day-to-day life for a few months and then suddenly id drop it and then go to another interest that id do the same thing with.

soo yeahh, the fact that i might have autism has been bothering me ever since, but this could just be normal soo idk, but please and thank you anyway :slight_smile:

Dear @understandingvalley563

Thank you for writing in. I can see you have been reflecting and noticed that certain behaviours and patterns have repeated over the years. I think it’s fully understandable that you are curious whether the patterns are characteristic of autism, especially when there are similarities.

I think it would be good to make an appointment with a counsellor (school counsellor if you are currently in school) to explore further.

You can also consider visiting Mindline Service Wayfinder to find out about more avenues of support available : mindline.sg | Free Mental Health Resources & Mindfulness Tools in Singapore

I believe there could also be other reasons why these symptoms are showing up so it would be useful for a counsellor to do a thorough history taking and assess. The counsellor could also address the anxiety and struggles you shared.

You do not need to sort this out alone. Do reach out for help soon as you commence your well deserved journey towards less distress and improved mental health.:yellow_heart: