DSM-5 Autism Criteria | How to Make Your Case for a Diagnosis

What is autism? Can you tell for sure if someone is on the spectrum? And are the examples we see in the media an accurate representation of autistic individuals? I believe part of the reason it took me 31 years to discover I’m autistic is that I didn’t have an accurate understanding of what autism REALLY is.

Today we’re diving into the diagnostic criteria presented for autism in the DSM-5 to gain a better understanding of autistic experiences. I’ll also share my own description of autism based off of my personal experience and those of other autistic adults whom I’ve studied.

PLUS: The GAMECHANGER diagnostic condition that opened my eyes to why it took me so long to realize I was autistic.👏🏻

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📪 Business Mailing Address 📬
Taylor Heaton
8901 Tehama Ridge Parkway, Suite 127
PMB 680
Fort Worth, TX 76177

💻 TIME MARKERS (Click the blue link to jump to that section) ➡️

Misunderstanding the term “autism” (1:22)
Tay’s description of autism (2:59)
#actuallyautistic (4:30)
Disorder vs. Difference (4:53)
What is the DSM? (5:12)
Notable changes in the DSM-5 (5:45)
DSM-5 Diagnostic criteria (6:01)
Deficits in social communication and social interaction (6:19)
Deficits in noverbal communicative behaviors (6:45)
Deficits in relationships (8:35)
Restricted and repetitive behaviors (10:17)
Repetitive motor movements, use of objects, or speech (10:25)
Insistence on sameness (11:22)
Restricted/fixated interests (12:21)
Hyper/Hyporeactivity to sensory input (13:03)
Final conditions (13:53)
GAME CHANGER CONDITION (14:03)
Important info regarding DSM-IV diagnoses (15:24)
Where do we go from here? (16:05)

📖 If you learn something from this video, please consider sharing it with someone to help raise awareness and acceptance. If I would’ve had this information sooner, it would have radically affected my life! 💪

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🌈 TAY’S DESCRIPTION OF AUTISM 💃

Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by social differences, repetitive behaviors, adherence to rules and routines, intensely focused special interests, unique sensory experiences/needs, and a restless mind. This can feel like a frustrating and continual processing or decoding of the world around them. Balancing these symptoms often leads to meltdowns where it feels like one is incapable of processing more sensory input or shutdowns where one needs to retreat to a silent place for an extended period of time before rejoining in normal activities.

Many times these symptoms are imperceptible to others who are not autistic due to camouflaging or masking. Camouflaging/masking is the process through which autistic people consciously or subconsciously behave in order to appear more socially appropriate. This can affect body language, tone of voice, eye contact, word choice, and more.

People on the spectrum tend to find comfort and relief from overstimulation and overthinking by spending time alone, balancing their sensory experiences, stimming, and working on/studying special interests.

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#autism #autistic #aspergers

[CinkSVideo]

The toll of decades of forced coping and trying to be more “ normal” is exhausting and comes with compounding anxiety. One thing I’ve faced is neurotypicals not understanding why I would want a diagnosis now when I seemed to have done so well all these years. I wanna scream, “I’m not doing well. I’m tired.” They don’t see and, I think, can’t comprehend the extent of our struggle just to make it through a simple conversation and why if you interrupt my routines I nearly lose it.

[PirateQueen]

9:22 - So apparently this bit doesn't necessarily mean "isn't imaginative" (though it could) but rather "has trouble doing imaginative stuff collaboratively". That is VERY much my experience! I have a really active imagination individually, but I could never "play pretend" with other kids bc the elements they would introduce were just too chaotic - they broke the internal rules of the story and I couldn't deal with it! Likewise, I HATE that game where you go around in a circle and each person adds one sentence to the story.

[elecrestis]

I'm both crying and laughing while listening to you giving your own definition of autism. It's like you're describing me.
I'm currently 31 years old, and have only just figured out that I could be on the spectrum. That whole diagnosis journey is still ahead of me, and it's both fascinating and terrifyingly stressful.

[chloechristodoulou]

I've never heard someone say that about eye contact before but that's exactly what I do! Well actually I watch people's mouths, I worked out that it gives the impression of eye contact and I go between looking around the room and looking at their mouth when I remember I should check in or seem interested. It was amazing to me to learn that other people aren't making these conscious calculations and efforts during social interactions, no wonder I find it so exhausting. I also wont be able to hear what they're saying if I make eye contact, it feels deeply uncomfortable and my brain turns to white noise and panic.

[pumpkinlyd]

I’m autistic and love imagination, it’s my escape from a world I don’t belong in.

[SmiliesGarage]

I am 45, and was recently diagnosed with high functioning autism. I always knew I was different and didn’t learn like others. College allowed me to learn like I needed to. I could just go to class and go home and study. I lived alone for 4 years and it was what I needed. Completely quiet and by myself.

As I start understanding my diagnosis, my life is starting to make sense!

[goodbyekitty]

I am going through the process myself (at age 41), and today I am finally going in for my evaluation. I am kinda nervous, but at the same time a little excited to (hopefully) finally have some answers.

[NorthshireGaming]

14:45 - Let's not gloss over this point. This is such a profound realization - at least to me. I've known my whole life that something was different about me. Every one knew something was up when I was a kid, but it was a different time. DSM5 wasn't a thing, Aspergers wasn't nearly as well understood as it would later become, and Autism meant something very different than it generally does today. When I was a kid, Autism meant dabilitatingly Autistic. The word conjured images of young mute children screaming uncontrollably, hitting their heads on the wall, themselves, biting caregivers, and generally spending a life in an institution or otherwise spend their days as societal rejects.

I've been struggling a lot more recently in my life though, having just turned 40. If you could observe my behaviors as a kid vs. now, at least in context of autistic traits, I would present much more clearly as being autistic now than I would then. And you just said something that really gave me a good answer as to the "why" part of that statement. Ultimately, my life changed. I can't afford the luxury of casual masking the way I used to because I no longer have the time nor energy for it. I have a family that needs my care, time, and attention. I have a home that needs regular upkeep, I have things that take priority over my own personal creature comforts of whatever I perceive as my mental limitations. I'm not dismissing any of these, because the number of meltdowns I've experienced in the last couple years has been off the rails for me. I just couldn't figure out why this was happening.

I barely try and mask anymore. I just roll the autistic dice and whatever comes out of my brain and subsequently my mouth is what I'm going with. That doesn't mean I don't care about what's being said, I just don't hide my autistic traits nearly as much as I used to. I have a motor tic that gets looks sometimes, I get visibly stressed out when there's too much going on around me, my sensitivity to lights (especially fluorescent lights), random electronic noises, just the world around me. I get home now and it's noise canceling headphones as much as I can get away with, and I immediately fall into my routine as soon as I can.

I kept asking myself, "Does autism get worse with age?" and now it just seems I'm simply struggling with my day to day life to mask. I'm okay with that though. I just wish I could balance my work life out a bit better so that I'm not in a constant state of stress that swings me hard between burnout and meltdowns. My meltdowns have gotten worse, going from mostly emotional to physical, and I instinctively start hitting myself in the head. Nothing about it feels good as far as what I know it looks like goes. It scares the hell out of people around me, which in turn makes me more stressed out. I feel like not letting it play out though is worse for me personally, so I don't restrain it like I used to.

Thank you MotS for your channel, these videos, and being open to sharing your experiences. I'm a guy on the spectrum, and I can tell there's some key differences between the way you experience you're autism to the way I experience mine, but the similarities are just... I don't know how to say it, there's something comforting knowing I'm not alone. My autism was periodically misdiagnosed as depression - this was usually after a meltdown, or during a prolonged period of burnout. I can see how these things can cause mixed signals though, so I don't blame the therapists at the time for misdiagnosing them, again, autism wasn't this thing we recognize it as now. Knowing your boys have a mother that understands autism on such a deep personal level gives me so much hope for the future of children with autism moving forward. It's been a long hard road for people on the spectrum, because we've never had an answer for what causes us to struggle the way we do, and I'm looking forward to how much better we can make the world for people like us when we have the knowledge, tools, and compassion that's needed to bring the best out of each of us. God bless you and thank you for all that you do!

[nancylanier]

From a neurotypical... thank you so much for explaining all this! It has helped me better understand and validate why my husband is the way he is. I have struggled in our marriage for over 40 yrs. Hopefully, this info will also help him understand himself better. Thank you, again!

[Nebulae]

I just found your channel a few days ago through the Youtube algorithm. I never thought that I might be on the spectrum. I'm still not sure that I am. I feel that I'm not "normal" enough to be classified as neurotypical, but neither do I feel that I am "autistic enough" to classified as a person on the spectrum.

I have had issues with social interaction with people all my life. When I was a kid or teenager, every friend I had abandonded me eventually except for one. One of them said outright that I was too boring of a person to be around. I never fit in with groups and have always preferred one on one social interaction. I have always spent abnormally large amounts of time alone, as social interaction wears me out.

My biggest issue is that I think I have been masking for such an enormous portion of my life that I don't know which part of me is the masking behaviour and which is the real me. Masking is also what has made social interaction so draining for me. It's hard work not being yourself! But I'm wondering if non autistic people mask as well, as I don't know if I'm "autistic enough".

I hope no one takes offense for my use of the term "autistic enough". It's probably just me still having this stereotypical outlook on what autism is. But I do wonder where the line is drawn between a neurotypical and an autistic person. Maybe I'm just right on the border and that's why I'm so confused.

Sorry about this rambling comment. I want to thank you Tay for your channel and your videos. Keep up the good work, you are doing something really important!

[juanvalenzuela]

When I was a lad, my mum always used to say " Looking people in the eyes is a sign of honesty which represents you've nothing to hide " She never understood why I wasn't able to do it and ''tis true, people sometimes might be under the impression of talking to a wall 'cause my mind is daydreaming or travelling in a "parallel universe" :). My imagination is like a stream of consciousness that flows freely, Great video and thanks for the colossal mission you've been carrying out. In those tough periods you're a beacon of light to many .

[moleculeninja]

I never considered autism for myself, but after watching “love on the spectrum” and noticing several similarities between myself and some of the individuals on the show, I became obsessed. After finding your channel, and hearing about your experiences, etc. I’m sure that I am on the spectrum. I have the start of my assessment coming up!

[jannettb]

I just realized about 5 years ago that I actually don't make eye contact. My coworkers would glance over their shoulder when I was talking to them, I always thought that was weird. Finally someone asked me what I was looking at, and I realized I was looking past their face and over their shoulder when I'm talking, or look around the room. When someone is talking to me, I'm looking at their lips. It helps me concentrate on what they're saying, one reason I have a hard time on the phone I think

[JoULove]

Stuff like buying (and receiving) cards and gifts for people stresses me out IMMENSELY. I have a big extended family and I could never figure who should get a gift and/or card from me or not, how expensive, how often, can it be a gift card, can I request a list of gifts that are acceptable, do I have to coordinate so that I don't buy the same thing as someone else etc etc. I would inevitably get something wrong and feel bad 😞 I never realised this is an autistic trait, not me being stupid or lazy

[bryanmerton]

Hi Tay I just found your channel! Awesome! I am 62 and was diagnosed with ADHD at 12. Then it was from DSM2 I think and called hyperkinetic disorder. Zoom ahead to last year and I discovered I was on the spectrum. I have a nephew who is autistic and I began to do research to understand his condition and I found out I was reading about me! I have always felt like I was an alien even with the ADHD diagnoses and suddenly I was not alone! I have been fiercely studying and learning about ASD for the last year. Channels like yours are so important! Thank you for posting and I am excited to catch up on all of your videos! ASD has become my latest “Special interest.”

[toebeansmeow]

Your point on imaginative play got me thinking. I'm also autistic and when I was in elementary school, I read very well but could not retain what I'd read. It didn't matter the genre; I would almost instantly forget and the homework that was required for what we read made this even harder. It was especially difficult in a group/classroom setting. I experienced intense social anxiety in that type of environment. There was an added pressure I felt to be "smart" like the others. Thankfully I had amazing teachers and other helpers in the school who took their time with me. I ended up in a reading course that was one-on-one where I did different mind exercises as well. I learn best and feel most comfortable with one-on-one learning. The biggest takeaway from this experience was the instructor telling me to picture a movie as I'm reading. Though this took some time, that changed everything for me. I have always been a very creatively imaginative person with a whole inner world and, once I was able to retain textual information, it bolstered my creativity even further. I am so grateful for the adults who believed in and helped me. Without their patience and compassion, I can't (ironally enough) picture who I would've become. Thank you for sharing your own personal journey with us.

[bamboopanda]

I consider autism as an experience. Everyone likes to debate how autism is for one person and eventually they've gotten to a point where they say "when you meet an autistic person, you have only met one person on the spectrum".

I describe it as a way to experience the world and people who are on the spectrum experience it differently from people who are not neurodivergent. ✌️

[LisaAnnOberbrunner]

I first started trying to find out more about autism because a friend has two autistic children. The first time I saw one of your videos, I realized that I am probably autistic too. Thank you so much for what you are doing!

[PamelaKingFriendlyLibrarian]

I so APPRECIATED your explanation of Autism. Recently, my daughter thought that her niece is on the Spectrum. As I was explaining some of her traits….I began to think how MY DAUGHTER did many of them! That sent me down the rabbit hole! I NOW think that she IS Autistic and I may be! She however, becomes very angry when I suggest this 😮 Thanks for the description!

[raventhistle]

Thankyou so much for your videos! Just had my daughter's assessment today. I was worried as a late diagnosed mum. But your videos helped me feel calm before the appointment and it went really well, we were listened to. Such a relief.