Appearance / Personal Habits
Dresses comfortably due to sensory issues and practicality
Will not spend much time on grooming and hair. Hairstyles usually have to be ‘wash and wear’. Can be quite happy not grooming at all at times.
Eccentric personality; may be reflected in appearance
Is youthful for their age, in looks, dress, behaviour, and tastes
Usually a little more expressive in face and gesture than some other Autistic people
May have androgynous traits. Thinks of themself as half-male/half female
May not have a strong sense of identity, and can be very chameleon-like, especially before diagnosis
Enjoys reading and films as a retreat, often scifi, fantasy, children’s, can have favourites which are a refuge
Uses control as a stress management technique; rules, discipline, rigid in certain habits, which will contradict their seeming unconventionality.
Usually happiest at home or in other controlled environment.
Intellectual / Giftedness / Education / Vocation
May have been diagnosed as Autistic when young, or may have been thought of as gifted, shy, sensitive, etc. May also have had obvious or severe learning deficits
May have a savant skill or strong talent(s)
May have a strong interest in computers, games, science, graphic design, inventing, things of a technological and visual nature. More verbal thinkers may gravitate to writing, languages, cultural studies, psychology
May have been a self-taught reader, been hyperlexic as a child, and will possess a wide variety of other self-taught skills as well
May be highly educated but will have had to struggle with social aspects of college. May have one or many partial degrees
Can be very passionate about a course of study or job, and then change direction or go completely cold on it very quickly
Will often have trouble holding onto a job and may find employment daunting
Highly intelligent, yet sometimes can be slow to comprehend due to sensory and cognitive processing issues
Will not do well with verbal instruction - needs to write down or draw diagram
Obsessions (passions / special interests) are not necessarily unusual
Emotionally immature and emotionally sensitive
Anxiety and fear are predominant emotions
More open to talk about feelings and emotional issues than people with typical autism
Strong sensory issues - sounds, sights, smells, touch, and prone to overload. (May not have taste/food texture issues.)
Moody and prone to bouts of depression. May have been diagnosed with mood disorders such as Bipolar Disorder, while the autism diagnosis was missed (note from typist: this doesn’t mean the other diagnoses are necessarily incorrect; just that they were comorbid with something that went undetected)
Probably given several different prescriptions to treat symptoms. Will be very sensitive to medications and anything else they put in their body so may have had adverse reactions
9 out of 10 have mild to severe gastro-intestinal issues (e.g. ulcers, acid reflux, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and so on)
Stims to soothe when sad or agitated; rocking, face-rubbing, humming, finger flicking, leg bouncing, finger or foot tapping, etc
Similarly physical when happy - hand-flapping, clapping, singing, jumping, running around, dancing, bouncing
Prone to temper or crying meltdowns, even in public; sometimes over seemingly small things due to sensory or emotional overload
Hates injustice and hates to be misunderstood; this can incite anger and rage
Prone to mutism when stressed or upset, especially after a meltdown. Less likely to stutter than some other Autistic people but may have a raspy voice, monotone at times, when stressed or sad
Words and actions are often misunderstood by others
Perceived to be cold-natured and self-centred; unfriendly
Is very outspoken at times, may get very fired up when talking about passions / special interests / obsessions
Like people with typical autism, will shut down in social situations once overloaded, but is generally better at socialising in small doses. May even give the appearance of being skilled, but it is a “performance”
Doesn’t go out much. Will prefer to go out with partner only or children if they have them (note from typist: I find I have a short list of “safe people” who I prefer to go out with, and I will refuse to go out if none of those people are available)
Will not have many close friends, and will not conform to gender stereotypical activities with friends, or have get-togethers to “hang out” with friends
Will have a close friend or friends in school, but not once adulthood is reached
May or may not want to have a relationship. If they are interested in a relationship, they probably take it very seriously, but may choose to remain celibate or alone
Due to sensory issues, will either really enjoy sex or strongly dislike it
If they like someone romantically, they can be extremely, noticeably awkward in attempts to let them know e.g. may stare or call repeatedly, “fixating” on the person. This may change with maturity
Often prefers the company of animals but not always due to sensory issues.
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