I Am Questioning My Identity

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Finding some clarity about your identity

The journey to understanding your neurotype and identity is unique to you. For some, considering yourself through an Autistic lens will give immediate clarity and it will be clear that being Autistic is who you are, and explains so much of your past experiences. For others, the road will be less sure, and you may doubt or question your Autistic identity – and your non-autistic identity! – many times over before settling into a firm understanding of your neurotype. For some, this journey will be a solo affair, just you and your brain. For others, it will be a collective journey, leaning on and learning from other late-identified Autists. Others still will want to consider their identity with the support of a professional, like a psychologist and counsellor. For some, have the certainty of a formal diagnosis will be vital. For others, self-identifying will be either preferable or necessitated by the many barriers to professional diagnosis. However you find clarity about your identity is absolutely valid, and you are welcome in our community as you explore the way you are in the world.

Read more about exploring your neurotype

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Understanding the spectrum

There are lots of characteristics and traits that are associated with being Autistic, and it’s important to remember that the vast majority of Autistic people won’t display every single characteristic. But we hope this section might provide you with some areas in which you could consider your own functioning, capacity and preferences. We hope this will help to guide you in some small way.

We think it is helpful to think of Autism as a colour wheel or prism, instead of as a linear spectrum. When we think of a linear spectrum, we often want to categorise people into a binary of “more” or “less” Autistic. This isn’t an accurate representation of the complexity of our experiences at all! You may have very strong Autistic characteristics in one area (e.g., sensory differences), but have less marked characteristics in another (e.g., executive functioning). Indeed, your Autistic characteristics are likely to change depending on the context, both internal (e.g., when you’re tired versus when you’re well rested) and external (e.g., when you’re in a safe place with safe people versus when you’re in an overwhelming environment). Importantly, each Autistic person will experience their strengths and challenges completely differently to other Autistic people.

Understanding the spectrum

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Identifying your Autistic characteristics

There are some Autistic characteristics that you might have identified in yourself, including:

Finding superficial conversation or “small talk” difficult (e.g., do you find it easy to chat with your colleagues about the weather, or share niceties with other parents at school pick up?)
Speaking in a flat affect or a monotone voice, or speaking with unusual volume, accent or unexpected variety (e.g., do people often mistake your tone of voice or note that you are loud?)
Using repetitive words and phrases (e.g., do you like to quote TV shows, movies or music lyrics when chatting with others, or do you rely heavily on pre-prepared scripts when you’re in social situations?)
Having intense interests that you’re very passionate about (e.g., have you had a particular passion about which you’re considered an expert, or do you often change passions, but you want to know everything about a particular topic in which you’re interested?)
Finding it challenging to read or understand the tone, body language or facial expressions of others, or having difficulty using these methods to express your own emotions (e.g., do you find it difficult to work out when someone is joking or sarcastic, or do people misunderstand when you are joking?)
Being a literal thinker (e.g., does idiom confuse you… like are you more concerned about the birds than the meaning when someone uses the phrase “kill two birds with one stone”?)
Seeing details, characteristics, and patterns in the world around you that others may miss (e.g., do you often point out changes in your environment that other people haven’t even noticed?)
Enjoying routine and consistency, and finding change challenging (e.g., do you rely on routines in your daily life to ensure things are done in a way that makes you feel comfortable, like eating the same foods or travelling the same route to work or parking in the same place at the shops?)
Experiencing difficulty regulating your emotional responses, especially if distressed, and sometimes finding yourself shutting down or melting down (e.g., do you become overwhelmed by too many people speaking at once, and feel like screaming because you don’t know who to listen to, or which sound is most important?)
Experiencing sensory differences (e.g., do you feel physically ill with certain smells, or find loud and competing noises hurt your head, or need sunglasses to cut out the glare even when others don’t seem to notice?)

Of course, this is a brief list, and for more information, you can click the button below to learn more about the differences in communication, socialising, thinking and processing that are common for Autistic people.

Autistic characteristics

Frequently asked questions

Not sure where to start? That’s completely okay! Here are some common questions that many Autistic people have asked themselves on their journey to discovering their Autistic identity that may resonate with some of your thoughts right now.

We’d also like to take this opportunity to let you know that we’re here for you! If there’s something not on this list that you’re not sure about, or if you have a curly question, we will do our best to point you in the right direction! Simply head to our Connect page and get in touch, and we’d be honoured to assist you.

Connect

There are two sets of Autism diagnostic criteria commonly used throughout Australia and the world:

The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (currently in its fifth edition – DSM-5). Autism is defined in two “domains” – social communication on the one hand, and restricted and repetitive interests and behaviours (including sensory differences) on the other. The DSM-5 is written in a way that frames Autism as a disorder and Autistic behaviours as impairments, deficits and abnormalities. A good neuro-affirming clinician will be able to explain the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria to you in a way that removes this medical frame and assess your support needs holistically and within the contexts of your strengths and challenges.
The World Health Organisation’s International Classification of Diseases (currently in its 11th edition – ICD-11). The ICD-11 requires clinicians to specify the presence and extent of intellectual and language impairment, along with the impact on areas of functioning.

Assessment tools often use a series of questions, in-person observations, and clinical interactions to support a professional diagnosis of Autism.

Depending on your needs, your health professional will gather information about your medical and health history as well as your:

Developmental and educational history. You may be asked about your development and experiences as a child and teenager, across different life domains (e.g., social, educational).
Autism-specific signs and/or traits. You may be asked about behaviours, preferences, and feelings relating to social communication and interactions, and you may explore any of your traits that might suggest you meet the criterion around “restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour and interest”.
Other relevant behaviours, signs and/or traits. You may be asked about the presence of any co-occurring conditions and/or differential diagnosis that might better explain Autism-like traits.

The diagnostic professional may also discuss your mental health. It is important that you answer these questions as honestly and openly as you can, so that your assessor can get a full understanding of your health. Research tells us that a range of mental health conditions are common among Autistic adults. These can include depression, anxiety (including social anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD) and thoughts of suicide. If you are experiencing symptoms of any of these conditions, your doctor will be able to refer you to appropriate professionals for further investigation and support.