Are some of your symptoms way worse than others?

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This seems to be the case with me. One of my worst symptoms is sensory issues. At least hyposensitivity. I do get a bit bothered by certain lighting, food or noises at times, but it’s nowhere near as bad as my hyposensitivity. I pretty much have to constantly move around fast. There’s pretty much no way of controlling it. I’m aware of how weird it makes me look and it makes me die inside. I don’t exactly know what most people think of it. People who are autism aware tend to think I do that because I lack social awareness. My executive functioning and ability to process certain instructions is also terrible. People expect me to be way better at that than I am based on my verbal abilities.

I suck in many visual-spatial sorts of things. There are times when I can't see an item that's right in front of me. It frustrates people I know, who believe I should just use my "common sense" or something.

I would say anxiety and panic attacks top the list as my worst symptoms.

My anxiety is the worst symptom I have, if it is an ASD symptom. All my other symptoms all stay around mild. I only have sensory issues with loud noise and sometimes clothing tags. Routines I'm not too bothered about. I like to follow a bit of a routine to a certain extent but that's so I can feel better organised. But routines aren't too important to me. Meltdowns/outbursts are controllable whilst being on meds, or maybe it isn't the meds that are keeping them under control (but I'm afraid to come off the meds). I have social anxiety but I do believe my social skills have improved greatly in the last 2 years. I seem to have become much better at speaking up in a group and responding to humour quicker and not feeling as shy as I used to. I feel much less socially awkward.

But I do feel my ADHD symptoms have got worse as I've gotten older. I'm even slower at reading than I used to be, due to lack of attention. I am also very 'scatterbrained' and can't sit still.

My sensory sensitivity- especially to noise- is the most challenging to me. I read someone's thought that the DSM criteria are based on the autistic features that are most problematic for NT's, not the most problematic for us, necessarily. That makes sense to me- NT's would be most concerned that I'm not willing/able to constantly socialize with them, while for me that's not a big issue because socializing is not something that matters to me. NT's don't care that much if I'm being massively overstimulated until I start exhibiting outward symptoms.

I... think so? I mean I have trouble with strong smells, too loud or too quiet sounds and voices, with certain tastes and textures of food, but these are usually rather minor when compared to my... inability to handle being touched? How do I say it in English? Anyway, I can handle coming to physical contact with other people if I'm the one starting it, like when a handshake is needed I can tolerate it these days because I've more or less learned when it's time for one and will offer my hand and close it around the other person's first. However, things like suprise hugs are something I don't, and probably never will, tolerate. It's not that uncommon for me to yell out when I see someone trying to hug me... that usually confuses them for long enough for me to step away.

Other than that, I don't know what to say... I have trouble with socializing, but I'm not sure which things I mess up the most. My mom would probably know and perhaps even my sister, too, but I can't tell.

What bothers me the most:
Short term memory and working memory. Several bits of executive functioning issues and whatever relates to it.
Everything else is the least of my problems -- social, sensory, emotional, mental, physical, etc... It either worked itself out, figured out it's workaround, or that I could 'afford' said 'symptom' with fewer to no consequences.

Which 'symptom' is actually more severe:
Sensory filtering and processing too much quantity. Focus and some semblance of artificial generalization as a workaround certainly helped.
In the end, this also interferes with short term and working memory somehow.


Still I consider that my main problems are internal (my own input and output) than external (social and environmental triggers).



If this were, like, 8+ years ago or so, my main problems would be sensory, social related issues, and the environment.

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Socially- im actually pretty good at presenting myself to pass as a Non autistic. most people never guess im autistic. however, i have a extremely hard time with complex relationships like romance, intamacy and sexual relationships its just something i really dont get . my friendships are usually quite stable and last pretty long. it depends.

Sensory- my sensory issues affect me more than most people realize. i have a serious isssue with things like staying out too long. i often cant filter out sounds in a crowd,i cant STAND unevenly lit rooms, i cant go to some resturants, bars, dance clubs, bowling alleys- ANYWHERE the lighting is a little off. even some stores in the mall are like that. same with noise.

executive function- i am doing better as long as i do things at my own pace. there are times though where i forget to eat, use the bathroom, shower. ect

repetition- i am a pure creature of habit. i dont like breaking routine and i REALLY get absorbed in narrow subjects for long periods of time to the point that nothing else interests me and everything else is EXTREMELY boring.

its hard to single out specific symptoms because autism effects it all. i guess sensory. because while i learned skills for the rest of the symptoms i listed, sensory issues stayed the same pretty much.

The thing I struggle with most is coping with change and the unexpected. Husband suggests going to the shops before eating instead of eating first: Panic! Husband realises I'm panicking and changes the plans back: Double Panic! because now that's two changes.

My autism is pretty mild - not many sensory issues and I have work-arounds for most of the social interaction deficits.

The thing I find hard is the way I over-react sometimes to stress or emotion, I just kind of freak out, and there doesn't seem to be any way of preventing or controlling that.

Me too, it's frustrating because I know I'm overreacting but there's nothing I can do to stop it!

sensory issues:
loud sharp noises are worst for me, I actually feel a jolt of physical pain a bit like an electric shock, it last only 3-5 seconds then takes about another 30 seconds to go away completely. I also wear my clothes inside out if I am at home. I usually initiate contact so I can be in control and can be weirded out if it happens and im not ready for it. However I dont seem to get surprised you know when people play that trick of trying to come up behind you or something. I spend my life in a contact peripheral vision when I am out, so I can see and sense people around me at all times.

When I was younger I used to pass out in very busy places like night clubs and people used to think I was drunk or something, now I dont go to places like that and keep to small venues and have to be very particular about where I sit in relation to doors, other people, noise etc.

The worst for me is interacting with people I kind of know. I am ok with friends to and extent and good with very close friends. But people I just know to see that I may have had a conversation with in the past I avoid at all costs. I hate going into my local village to shop and things because of the fear or running into these people. I have seem myself drive 50kms to go to another town just to go shopping. Another thing that is interesting is I don't mind meeting people I don't know or have never met before. I work off a kind of memory list of how to interact with new people. it works well and I can come across as very pleasant and normal (or NT ).

Executive functioning is truly terrible. I just don't have any, I get myself in all kinds of bother in my day to day. I agree to plans, cos I think it's the right thing to do and say, then realise sometime later that I cant do what I said I would or I forget. this leads to many broken plans and people get annoyed cos I am not reliable.

I struggle the most with shutdowns/selective mutism.
Too much social interaction, sensory overload, verbal instructions or some short term stress and I get tired and/or silent.

Dyspraxia, and it's hugely variable. And not entirely predictable.

Some I can predict (as a woman, it's always worst during PMS season). But not all.

I've only recently learned that it's a yellow caution flag for becoming ill overall, and that has helped me be a bit more patient with it, but it still drives me nutz on a bad day. Because when it's "off", there's such a HUGE difference.

I would say areas of executive functioning. The Brief-A test I took as part of my diagnostic assessment said 90% of people are better than me in this regard. The test reported initiation is worst, and emotional control the mildest but all features of executive functioning are below average.

I would say my sensory issues while present is milder than most autistics.

My worst problem is oversensitivity to other people, closely followed by light and heat sensitivity.

The EF problems and other things are tolerable.