10 Childhood Autistic Traits That Make Sense Now

As a child, medical professionals said I was stressed, anxious, and shy. It wasn’t until I turned 31 that I was finally able to put all of the pieces together in a way that made sense. I realized with the help of a psychologist that I’m autistic.

This video explores 10 of my childhood autistic traits that were overlooked as stress, anxiety, or just being shy.

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I am not a doctor or medical professional. I am a 33-year-old autistic mom and I’m sharing my experiences to spread awareness of how autism presents, to connect others like me to resources and support, and to empower people on the spectrum to live confident, successful lives.

Please consult your healthcare provider before making any changes to your healthcare routine.

Also, please note that relating to some of these traits does not mean you are autistic. It is part of a much larger picture. If you’re interested in learning more about whether or not you might be on the spectrum, you may find the following video suggestion helpful along with my playlist over the diagnostic process:

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⏰ TIMESTAMPS 🕰
(1:48) Intro: Purpose and Important Info
(3:03) Common Autism Misdiagnoses
(3:29) List of 10 Traits Starts
(14:34) Community Responses - More Autistic Childhood Traits
(16:54) Meltdown Survival Guide

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I'm Tay, a married mom of 2 who was diagnosed with Autism at 31 years old. This was after YEARS of therapy (and all of the self tests in the world!). My diagnosis has brought up questions, frustration, doubt, but most importantly, a new level of self compassion and understanding.

I'm here to share knowledge, resources, and products that empower other neurodivergents (and their loved ones) to live freely and creatively. I'm not a doctor so please speak with your healthcare providers before implementing any recommendations I make on my channel.

Women are under-diagnosed due to lack of research. Please share any videos that are helpful to you so we can spread awareness and acceptance.

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You are a beautiful person worthy of love!

#autism #autistic #aspergers

[DragonFae]

My mom always said I had a photographic memory, but in reality when I would take tests I would think back to what the air felt like on my skin, the sounds of the electricity in the walls, the way my clothes felt on my body, the way the seat felt, how the room smelled….and then I could remember what was on the board or what the teacher said 🫠🫠🫠 she just thought I was really smart, but I was attempting to use all the other sensory input to my advantage

[YiskahLeAnn]

You are so blessed to have received a diagnosis. I’m 35 and my therapist was gaslighting me when I brought Autism up to her. She said I was “too smart” to be autistic, and then sarcastically asked if I was obsessed with toy trains. I immediately knew then that I would not be returning to her.

[intuitivelogic]

I've always been called sensitive which I think was and is dismissive

[slys]

I'm 73...and this has been an epiphany! 73 years being the outsider, quirky, likable person that lost friends because their parties intimidated me. Made fun of because I'd only eat certain foods, hated noise and chatter. It is relieving to know it's okay ..I'm unique, not weird.

[ItsDesha]

Full list of the 10 traits plus time stamps :)
1. Being labeled gifted, sensitive, shy or all 3 of these 03:34
2. Anxiety over group situations 04:11
3. Enjoying time alone 06:00
4. Frequent sickness/pain 06:55
5. Confusion about birthday parties 08:29
6. Eating the same thing every day 09:40
7. Difficulty navigating peer relationships 10:29
8. Creating systems of organization 12:00
9. Preferring visual learning over auditory learning 12:44
10. preferring to interact with teachers over peers 13:22

[lornalexdun]

I'm sitting here crying as an adult in my 40s because this was my exact childhood (and adulthood) and I can't believe not a single therapist or doctor ever picked up on it or told me. And I saw a lot of them for anxiety and depression and missing school. How different my life could have been if I knew why I was different instead of thinking there was something very wrong with me or other people or that I must be an alien or something. Every little thing about my whole life makes sense now that I have been looking in to this diagnosis. Everything. Thank you so much for your videos, you have been so helpful.

[Joskus]

I believe talking to my teacher was relaxing because social hierarchy and expectations were so established and not confusing.

[mariecait]

I had a shingles outbreak at 26:( I also am a recovering alcoholic and on disability after failed suicide attempts in my 20s. I was expelled from high school because I was always hiding out in the bathroom due to sensory social overload. My life has been hard working as a care giver I got burnt out and still unable to get out of bed most days. I'm only 33. Thanks for creating content for neurodivergent women .

[JoULove]

Overly dependent on one friend: YES! I had a best friend in 2nd through maybe 4th grade that I was always sticking to, then when she started hang out more with other people it felt like such a betrayal and I was so lost. Honestly it was pretty traumatic because I was unable to understand how to fit in with other people after that.

[annelogston]

Well, I wasn’t called shy. I was “gifted, ” “sensitive” and “antisocial.” I was probably more self-isolating than you sound, to the point where I actually didn’t want any friends, particularly my own age. I had a rich imagination and became a writer (11 novels published). I have severe sensory processing issues with my skin and with noise. And even with all that AND seeing a child psychologist, my autism was finally diagnosed last year. I am 60 years old.

[HayleeBaely]

I found out I was autistic at 30. My whole world and life has changed for the better in unbelievable ways. What is even more magical is I haven’t had life ending thoughts or ideations for real for 4 months. I never realized how frequent I visited that place until now, looking back. The self love I am experiencing now is worth the years of struggle, with that said, I hope whoever reads this and is wondering whether or not a child or person, or even they themselves are autistic, keep going! Autism has roots into every crevice of a person and the struggles aren’t easily verbalized or pinpointed. I love you, all humans are valid beautiful creations of the universe and deserve to be loved and understood and to have a home on this planet. 💗

[iamcornelia]

I had an evaluation for Autism a couple of years ago but was deemed to have too much social skills to be classified Autistic. I look people in the eye and I have a clear way to express empathy. Watching this video makes me feel like I’m still ticking every other box for autism, the root to a lot of my daily struggles seems confirmed.

[venussownnatlan]

That whole “sitting alone and not liking when others came during recess” hit home. I’m getting my autism screening soon, and every time I hear autistic people talk about their experiences I am more convinced that’s the right decision. Like, I’d sit on the tree planters around the playground in the shade and I was content to just sit and think and observe other students (side note: I’ve always been able to clearly hear conversations clearly yards away and that was my live entertainment, like watching a soap opera) but people would always walk up to me and ask if I was okay, if I was lonely, or if people were leaving me out. And I was always like “no I’m just vibing” and they’d be so persistent? Like “are you sure” yes, I’m sure, I told you, this what I always do and I feel comfortable doing, please leave me alone I wasn’t prepared for you to talk to me and I really just need to decompress so that I don’t shut down by the time we get out of school.

[SamanthaA]

I hated school so much. I was very quiet and "shy" and the social part of school was unbearable. I would even fake being sick so i didn't have to go. Crying tantrums was another thing. It was awful.

[AKetoMama]

HOLY CRAP!!! FINALLY - someone who gets it!! I love being by myself!!! I really hate it when people are intrusive.

[MsTinkerbelle]

The picky eating and wearing the same clothes is so true. We ain’t sociopaths! We have too many feelings, like I’ll see a dog and if he’s cute I will cry, we just gave no idea when to show the feeling lol Holding space for you today, I’m SO happy I found your channel!!

[hearsae]

4:11 - My mom is a teacher and she always offers the choice of doing group projects alone to avoid this very situation because she knows how much I struggled with that growing up. I wish more teachers would be understanding of this, group work can be so mentally distressing (, :

[CrankyGrandma]

Learning about female autism has been somewhat freeing. I’m in my sixties now but most of what you describe really hits me in the heart

[jesterr]

I love disassembling things and repairing them. I taught myself to work on cars and vacuums, and I have a small engine repair side business. My love of tearing things apart started with my mother's 40 year old Kirby vacuum. It started cutting off every time we bumped into something. My mother took it to two different authorized Kirby repair shops. They charged her about $300, and were not able to fix it. She was getting ready to throw it away, so i just disassembled it in the living room floor. I knew nothing about vacuums, but I inspected every part, and I was able to correctly diagnose and repair something that professionals couldn't. I caught the bug. I love tearing things apart.

[kaymgee]

I had many of these traits and still have, but at nearly 70 discovered I am an INFJ (see MyersBriggs personalities) and finding out about this has changed my life and enabled me to undestand and accept myself instead of comparing with others. I always blamed being a only child with older parents who were post-war immigrants and difficulty communicating with family because of language limitations - basically as soon as I went to primary school I stopped speaking my native language and this led to massive difficulties. Always loved being alone, hated socialising, was obsessive about some things and totally uninterested in most others. Was akways seen as odd, peculiar, shy etc. Love my life now!