10 Quirks That Might Be Autism: Part 1
There are many shades of autism, like these 10 quirks about me.
This post is part of the series 10 Quirks About Me.
People with autism have unique behaviors, like these 10 quirks about me that I’m going to share with you over the course of a few blog posts. To the person without autism, some autistic traits might seem strange or even scary. But the behaviors of autism do not always appear that way. In Autism Spectrum Disorder, everyone’s behaviors are different. There also are 42 distinct behaviors associated with it in the Comprehensive Autistic Trait Inventory. Each of those behaviors also has many variations. It’s possible for someone with autism to escape diagnosis for years because the behaviors are not readily associated with autism or because people have learned to hide them all their life.
The Traits of Autism
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR) the core features of autism are persistant deficits in social communication and interaction and restricted and repetitive behaviors, interests, and ctivities.
So, what are my autistic traits? I’ve thought about that a lot since learning in 2023 that I had an autism diagnosis in 1981. Because I also have an excellent memory, I have been able to re-analyze my past behavior in the context of someone who has autism. The memories don’t change, but some of my past makes more sense.
I am sharing these stories to help people understand the disorder and its effects. But these traits do not make you autistic. If you believe that you would benefit from an autism diagnosis, please seek one from a qualified professional. You can get more information about autism spectrum disorder from the National Institute of Health (NIH), the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and advocacy groups such as The Autistic Self Advocady Network (ASAN).
In my case, however, here are the first three of the 10 quirks about me that probably are autistic. They are not in any particular order.
#1 When I Look Into Your Eyes
Has anyone ever said, “look me in the eye”? Well, that is hard for me until I trust you. I don’t trust most people when I first meet them, and I don’t give most people a chance to be trusted. So, true eye contact is rare. It is a commonly reported autistic trait. Of course, I can look someone in the eye, and I have. But it is physically uncomfortable for me when I do it. Instead, I’ll look down, to the side, at you but not at your face, or through you. Most people don’t notice it because I’ve learned how to make it look like I’m making eye contact. It has nothing to do with a lack of respect, and I’m not trying to hide anything. However, you’ll always win a staring contest.
#2 People Are Strange
It is a big deal for me to walk up to someone and talk to them if I’m by myself. I still get nervous when I approach people working at a service counter, a reception desk, or on the sales floor. This is a sign of anxiety, which affects many people with autism. I don’t know what to say and frequently jumble my words while trying to make conversation. In fact, I was a teenager before I could walk up to someone standing at a cash register so that I could make a purchase. It scared me to death to try to make conversation. I was relieved when pay at the pump options and self-service checkouts made their debut.
Despite my communication problems with others, I was OK as a reporter. There were a few times that, in hindsight, an inability to communicate absolutely affected my ability to ask the right questions or to deal with some personalities. However, I don’t think it affected my stories. I always got the scoop because I became hyper-focused on getting the job done.
When I worked as a copy editor or on the news desk, it was less of a problem because the only people I worked with were the people in the office. After I became an editor that worked with the public, however, it became a problem for me. Fear doesn’t always appear as defenseless tears, but that did happen a few times. Sometimes, I started yelling or carrying on in a way that no one understood, or that made people back away in fear of their own. Although I didn’t know it was autism at the time, I knew something was wrong. These problems were the reasons why I left the newspaper business.
#3 Tacks for Snacks
In elementary school, I ate everything in my desk that was not part of it. In autism, this oral fixation behavior is known as mouthing. The selection was plentiful: Paper, including books; erasers; wooden pencils; crayons; and glue. None of them will kill you because they are nontoxic. That wasn’t always the case, however. When I was a toddler, my mom had the phone number for poison control posted on the refrigerator because I frequently ate something potentially poisonous. Sure, all kids sometimes put things in their mouths. But most of them don’t eat several pencils a week for years on end.
I would get a real treat if I didn’t eat what was in my desk, but that was not enough to make me stop.
Eventually, one of my teachers put me on a reward system. I would get a real treat if I didn’t eat what was in my desk, but that was not enough to make me to stop. At one point, my pencils had a piece of masking tape wrapped around them. On the tape there was a smiley face and the words “Don’t Eat Me!” That masking tape was not nearly as tasty as the pencils. It stopped by the time I was in middle school, or when I was about 12. But I still have oral fixations and probably always will.
Catch the rest of the series: 10 Quirks About Me