Am I autistic?

Not everybody is diagnosed with autism as a child. In fact, many adults go through life without a formal diagnosis. 

While not everybody wishes to seek a diagnosis, it can help explain your experiences, make sense of challenges, and may also give access to extra support such as benefits or care services. 

If you think you might be autistic and want a formal diagnosis, you’ll usually need a referral from a GP. Not all GPs are autism experts, so it can help to bring evidence about why you think you may be autistic.

The National Autistic Society has lots of helpful information and resources about the adult diagnosis process. You can also read personal experiences, like Amy’s story, to see what the journey can be like.

Parents and carers are often the first to notice their child may be autistic, though sometimes it is nursery staff or teachers. 

We have created a Right from the Start parent toolkit which includes lots of information about what to do if you think your child might be autistic. 

What to look for

Every autistic person is different in the same way every non-autistic person is. However, common signs of an autistic child or young person might include:

• Difference in speech development
  Your child may not point as a toddler, it may take longer for words to appear (or they may not appear), or they might be an early speaker who can form complex sentences at a young age.
  
  
• Difference in social interactions
  An autistic child or young person may be sensitive to noise, prefer less eye contact, and may not love pretend play. Girls, however, may like imaginative play and won’t be alone in the playground at school. However, their interactions may be different to their neurotypical peers – potentially they are in a group for social protection, but they don’t feel like they belong or they are properly included.
  
  
• Sensory differences 
  For example, finding busy or chaotic environments exhausting and stressful and trying to escape music groups or being ‘disruptive’ in unstructured noisy school activities.
  
  
• High levels of anxiety
  Your child might struggle with high levels of anxiety, which can lead to difficulties regulating emotions.
  
  
• Difficulty navigating ‘neurotypical’ social skills
  Your autistic young person will have perfectly valid autistic social skills but may find it very hard to decipher unwritten neurotypical social codes and rules. 

Working with the school

If your child is struggling at school, it’s important to begin the conversation with the school as soon as possible about what help and support they need so they can achieve their best. Schools are meant to support children based on need, regardless of an autism diagnosis. 

However, an autism diagnosis can help you and your child to understand themselves better and a diagnostic clinician may make recommendations that can be fed back to the school.

Further information and support 

• NHS autism diagnosis information
• Join our online community for parents and carers
• Join our Ambitious Youth Network for autistic young people aged 13-25 
• Check out our YouTube channel for more information and support