hah ok I'm gonna talk to my psychiatrist about autism diagnosis next appt- what add all the things I should bring up (for/against)? I want to have it settled one way or the other and not wonder if I'd remembered to say something different...
*are ugh
arguments for: - sensory oversensitivity, even stronger from childhood- lights too bright, speakers too loud, smells too strong, scratchy rags & fabrics - spending a lot of time alone by preference - nerdy interests in coding & building, ecology, architecture, horses...
arguments against: - have felt like I mostly understand social interactions and feel empathy since childhood; was never bullied or felt excluded - don't like routine, am novelty seeking to an extreme
more arguments against: - I don't "stim", dislike stuff like fidget spinners - I have zero interest / memory for memorizing factual details or numbers- like, less than normies even
more arguments for: - hyperlexia- taught myself to read at 3 - visual thinking- I love visual metaphors & use whiteboards / diagrams a lot for problem solving