what was you like as a small child?

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I was cute. According to my mom, the sweetest little angel who never misbehaved or caused any trouble.

My own memory says I was quiet, shy, preferred solitude, didn't like playing with other kids. I was also very sensitive and had meltdowns daily. I had trouble voicing my preferences and wants, even though I had no speech delays. Anything not expected made me burst into tears.

My childhood personality is very different from my teen or adult one. Almost the opposite. The teenage me was talkative, fun loving, competitive / liked to show off, over-confident and had almost no sensitivity for people's feelings. Sometimes I was pretty loud and aggressive, though most of the time I knew how to avoid getting into troubles.

I was very mischievous when I was young, constantly taking things apart to build other things with them. I have been doing that since I was three years old. My old toys were torn apart by me to design other new toys. I loved going to the town junkyard with my father to find things for my "projects". (Back in the late 70s, you could pickup what people left there without any questions from others.) My parents allowed me to be creative on our farm as a means to burn off some of my energy, so long as I did not destroy their stuff in the process. I learned by around second-third grade that I was vastly different than my classmates. While they were reading age appropriate books in class, I was reading (and understanding) Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity and extraction techniques for separating materials. These were books that I found in the town's public library, not at the school one. A teacher noticed what I was doing and had me tested for being gifted. The rest is history...

Nothing to unusual as a child

was very quiet, they thought I was selective mute at one point

moderate/severe anxiety from the age of 7

perhaps hyperactive, but only when I was with family, not in class.

played normally, although apparently not as imaginatively as I should of as the play was structured and I did not put myself into the play unless someone structured it for me, so never initiated it e.g. playing scenarios with barbies

bullied quite a bit, had one or two friends

I was a placid, day dreamer. I didn't really have meltdowns then. They also started later for me.
I had my own language that only my Mum and Sister could understand (and the lady down the street).
I started talking normally when I started going to school.

Later, spent most of my time alone in the Library. Had the occasional friend. Couldn't and still can't hang on to a friendship if my life depended on it. Always been like that.

I was a lucky Aspie. I never got picked on much, I was/am high functioning and I had/have good self-esteem!

At school, I always danced to the beat of my own drum. I didn't give a damn what the other kids thought!

Hmmm....well, I was actually pretty outgoing as a little kid. I was rambunctious, imaginative, a little bit passive-aggressive and high spirited. I love to sing songs and perform for people. I was affectionate and a drama queen.

It wasn't until I was about nine-ish that I started to withdraw more and more into myself. The neurotypical world was gradually growing dissatisfied with that which comprised my very essence, and it didn't take me long to realize it.

I was a REALLY smart child (reading books on the DNA molecular structure of blood, I think it was? I loved all things medical... weird kid) thanks to my mom. I was really, really quiet with an awful temper. Pretty bratty. I had moments of sweetness though... I was a funny kid, but I didn't mean for it most of the time. School ruined me. Sleep Apnea affected me a lot. So did bullies... Really low self esteem and hated myself.

Didn't make friends until I was 13. I also didn't talk in school to other students until I was around 8...

I didn't talk much. It was a mixture of me not having a high verbal IQ and selective mutism. I knew I was different. Teachers treated me differently, kids eventually started treating me differently, and my parents treat me differently. I am the only autistic child of 3 children, and I suspect they feel like they like my siblings better.

I was a bright child, a daredevil, and very extroverted. I talked early and my parents thought I was much brighter than my peers. I was always the first one to volunteer to anything. I always ran as fast as I could to answer the phone. I did crazy stunts on my bike. I was carefree and I had no fear. Everything would change once I started to hit puberty.