I Was 35 When I Discovered I’m on the Autism Spectrum

Zack Smith:

“Do you hate crowds, especially at supermarkets and restaurants?”

I avoided eye contact, which I knew I wasn’t supposed to do. “Yes.”

If Dr. P. noticed, she was too busy looking at the questionnaire to let on. “Do you tend to repeat heard words, parts of words, or TV commercials?”

I immediately flashed back to middle school, randomly repeating such phrases from TV as, “I don’t think so, Tim,” from Home Improvement. I was tempted to respond that way this time. Instead, I just replied with another, “Yes.”

“Do you have trouble sustaining conversations?”

“Yes.”

“Is your voice often louder than the situation requires?”