10 Minute Home Autism Self-Assessment

Read now (3 mins) | This April, Remember, Self-Identification of Autism is Valid

When you realize you've been autistic your whole life and suddenly everything makes sense!

April 2, 2025

​If you're exploring the possibility that you might be Autistic, consider the following signs for no more than 1 minute each:​

1. Reflect on Your Special Interests and Hobbies: Do you have intense interests that others might find overwhelming or obsessive? If you often find yourself deeply engrossed in specific topics and frequently share them with others, this passionate focus is a hallmark of autism.

2. Observe Your Stimming Behaviors: Engage in repetitive behaviors like knee bouncing, nail-biting, humming, rocking, or fidgeting? If these self-soothing actions are a regular part of your routine and have been pointed out by others, they could be indicative of autism.

3. Evaluate Your Social Interaction Patterns: Do you prioritize directness and honesty in communication, sometimes leading to misunderstandings or conflicts with friends or family? If small talk, indirect cues, or ambiguous social norms often leave you feeling confused or frustrated, this may reflect autistic communication styles.

4. Assess Your Employment Experiences: Have you faced challenges in maintaining employment, such as being let go without clear explanations? Studies indicate that autistic individuals experience higher rates of job loss and unemployment. For instance, research has shown that 76% of unemployed autistic individuals had lost their job in some way, with 12% being fired and 19% laid off. If you struggle with getting or keeping a job that is, sadly, another sign you might be autistic.

5. Consider Co-occurring Conditions: Reflect on whether you have medical conditions that frequently co-occur with autism, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), epilepsy, insomnia, asthma, eczema, reflux, hyperlexia, prosopagnosia (difficulty recognizing faces), or auditory processing disorder. Having MULTIPLE conditions that co-occure highly with autism is another sign that you might be autistic.

6. Analyze Your Need for Routine and Structure: Do you rely heavily on routines and experience significant discomfort when they're disrupted? A strong preference for predictable patterns and environments is common among autistic individuals. If you occasionally get annoyed when someone moves your toothpaste, that's probably not indicative of anything, but if anyone moving anything makes you feel like you need to create a powerpoint presentation on why it is rude and inappropriate to move people's things, it might be interesting to note that is a very autistic response.

7. Identify Executive Function Challenges: Do you struggle with planning, organization, multitasking, time management, or initiating tasks? Perhaps you get so into something you forget to eat or go to the bathroom. Difficulties in these areas can correlate with autistic neurology.

8. Monitor Your Sensory Responses: Are you particularly sensitive to sensory inputs like textures, noises, or lights? If you frequently feel overwhelmed by sensory stimuli and receive feedback from others suggesting you're overreacting, this heightened sensitivity is characteristic of autism.

9. What do the Online Assessments say?: There are self-assessment tools available on platforms like Embrace Autism, including the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q), Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale–Revised (RAADS-R), and Systemizing Quotient (SQ). These can provide insight into your alignment with autistic traits. Have you taken any? What did they say? (K, this one is more than a minute if you haven't already taken one, but you can skip it if you haven't already taken an online test like this!)

10. Seek Peer Validation: Engage with autistic-led online communities on platforms like Reddit, Discord, or Facebook. Consistently resonating with shared experiences, memes, and discussions within these communities can provide further insight into your own neurodivergence.

Lastly, are you still reading? The very act of delving into resources like this reflects a level of introspection and curiosity about neurodiversity that is, in itself, indicative. Neurotypical individuals don't not typically find themselves exploring such content.​

If one or 2 of these items speak to you, that's not very informative for us, but if you are reading this list screaming OMG THAT'S ME... you can consider yourself self-assessed! That's it! Anymore than 50% agreement on this list and you have my blessing as an autistic person to call yourself autistic.

To learn more or have a more detailed and definitive guide to accurate and affirming self-identification and to building a healthy Autistic Sense of Self. Check out the details of how to get a pre-release copy of mine and

Matt Lowry, LPP

’s new book ADULT AUTISM HOME ASSESSMENT. Paying supporters of this substack channel can get early access to the book and audiobook right now!

This is TRUE Autism Acceptance... so if you are properly celebrating April as Autism Acceptance month then accept self-diagnosis without hesitation. Now, if you need medical support, accommodations at work or school, or social services it makes sense to stand in line and/or pay the big bucks for an official assessment, but if not, you are there.

Links and Resources

• Take our Autistic Culture Quiz

• Find More Assessments at Embrace Autism

• Get our Adult Autism Home Assessment book!