11 Surprising Autistic Traits That I Missed For Decades

Subtle signs of autism that I never noticed until it was too late

Image created on Canva by author (Shamiha Said).

I’ve always known that I was different to everyone around me, but I didn’t know why until I was diagnosed with autism and ADHD three years ago. Growing up, I secretly struggled with every part of my life, and I would regularly feel confused as to why life came so much easier to others around me. I wrongly believed that this would be something I would grow out of and that when I finally reached adulthood, everything would fall into place.

However, my sensitivities and difficulties increased in adulthood, particularly once I became a mother, and that’s when I accepted that something was causing me to experience life so differently, so I sought therapy for answers. Soon after, I was diagnosed with autism and ADHD, and whilst I did initially grieve these late diagnoses, I am thankful to know that I’m autistic after all this time because I finally understand the way my brain works and how to accommodate this.

Here are 11 autistic traits that were hidden for decades to look out for:

1. I felt overwhelmed by everything all of the time.

Something that I have learned the hard way in the last few years since I got my autism diagnosis is that it is not…