evidence i weigh most heavily in the "no" column: autism is a developmental disorder, if i have it, the symptoms should have appeared in childhood. but i attended public school in fairfax county va (which at the time was one of the highest rated districts in the country) and had various contact with the counseling staff for gifted placement, no one ever suggested i might have autism or that i should be evaluated for it. as a teen i got depressed and started going to doctors for what was eventually diagnosed as bipolar 2. i've had many mental health evaluations including various therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists and doing inpatient treatment. again no one has ever mentioned autism as a possibility or suggested screening for it.