Are there good tests? All tests that I have done so far don't make sense, the questions are general and hard to answer. I don't go to social events and I don't meet new people often so I can't answer how would i feel about it and they don't give an option to skip the question. And how am I supposed to know if people around notice small sounds or not? Such questions don't make sense to me. Deepseek bot told me that not understanding how to answer tests might be a trait by itself. Do you have any good tests for potential autistic person to do to figure out more about themselves?
Keep in mind that modern medicine is still catching up to reality when it comes to actual lived experiences of Autistic people, and that ableism around this often invisible disability can be difficult to overcome.
I'm linking the site that I got the most use out of when I was first looking into getting tested, but keep in mind that they are asking about your entire life, not just recent events. There's over 20 tests on this one page, take breaks if you feel overwhelmed.
Example: You mentioned hearing things others can't. At any point in your life, going back to early childhood, could this apply to you?
I have Autism and ADHD, and frequently I cannot tune out certain auditory stimuli no matter how hard I try, and it can affect my concentration and emotional regulation to the point of causing a breakdown. Common noises that affect me are electrical buzzing/higher frequencies that most people can just tune out without thought, or the low rumble of diesel engines. Most people can hear the truck idling outside only if they concentrate, but for me it's impossible to ignore as soon as they're on my street. To me, those noises are subtle torture.
Try not to spend more than 3-4 minutes on these questions, and try not to put too much weight on them; they are self-reporting tools to give you a sense of how Autism may be/has previously impacting/ed your daily life. Remember that it is a spectrum; not every question will apply to you and scoring higher or lower on these just means there are INDICATORS, and different criteria will be used if you seek out an official diagnosis. The current testing criteria for licensed professionals is the DSM-5. Your lived experiences and feelings are valid. If you haven't already, Unmasking Autism by Dr. Devon Price is an excellent book to start your diagnosis journey, and there's exercises and resources within the book itself. Make sure to screenshot your results, too, so you don't lose them.
Good luck!
thank you, i have made 2 tests from this website and i made CAT test also which i found more useful than others and easier to answer questions. I will take a look at the book as well. When i try to think about childhood i start to feel like i cant remember anything ๐ . It feels like a full time job trying to figure out all these aspects and traits, not only of myself but also of others cos I have no clue for example how other people can hear truck on idle, as you said
If that part doesn't bother you and never has, then that's the end of that. I have excellent hearing on top of being unable to process and filter certain stimuli. Autism very much coincides with ADHD on a lot of criteria, so again, it can be very difficult to diagnose, but if you're really determined to get a yes or no answer your best bet is with a doctor. Also, if you've been heavily masked all your life, trying to break through that mask for the first time can feel overwhelming and can bring old trauma to the surface. It's common to feel like you're regressing as you re-frame your thinking to include those neurospicy tendencies. This community doesn't get a lot of attention, so if you're looking for more shared experiences head over to the Neurodiverse comm on Hexbear. They helped me with so much when I was going through the diagnosis process and understanding the very personal, very human aspects of what it means to be Autistic. Hope you find whatever is you're looking for out of this.