I'm not autistic although I feel awkward talking to unknown people but somehow I have quite a few friends that I've made.

Yes, I do have autism. Unfortunately, I also have some impulse control issues, as can be seen on the Kmart thread. 
I’m such an idiot! 

There's another (later) topic on this subject here. I might see if it's worth merging them, but I'll need to read through them first.

I do believe that I have a mild case of autism here.  I have a picky taste on some food that I eat.  Some loud noise can be unnerving to me and usually I mute my hearing aid.  Sometimes I overreact if some of the routine can be disruption.  I was institutionalised for a short while for my behaviour disruption when I was a teenager.

Now, I'm more calmer and controlled with my mental state and able to deal with something that could deviate my routine.  I try to understand what others feels like and be respectful to them.

I am really interested to read stuff like this, I have struggled my whole life and have just applied for a autism diagnosis throug the public health system, I fit the simtoms very well, never been able to hold down a job and IQ is very low but, I have managed to build a few cars and motorcycles from scratch and have a big collection for someone my age and seem to know more about ww1 and ww2 history and world history than most normal people.

I was kicked out of school when I was 7 because of a lerning disability and had to change to a few other schools, its not really recognized in the contry I am from, I use to collect all sorts of crap, 

I show mild symptoms, but it's not significant enough for me to need or want a diagnosis.
I struggle to  to maintain eye contact, communication isn't exactly my first language, and I'm hypersensitive to sounds.
I think everyone is on the spectrum somewhere, just for most it's so low it isn't noticeable.

I don't have autism, but struggling to maintain eye contact is a VERY strong weakness of mine.

There's another (later) topic on this subject here. I might see if it's worth merging them, but I'll need to read through them first.

Ok, as there have been a few more posts on this subject, I've merged the two topics.

I was diagnosed with Aspergers (which I guess is now classified as autism) when I was like 6 or 7. I'm going to be honest and say I really wish I didn't have it, it's made a lot of stuff really difficult and I have a hard time with lots of things that most people don't seem to have any issues with. On the plus side, there's a few things that I'm extremely good at but I don't feel like that makes up for it.

Firstly, to everyone else on here who has "opened up," I want to let you know you make me feel welcome and "safe" to discuss my own issues here.  I admire your transparency as "tightly-knit" members of this community.  With that said, I am actually on the autism spectrum myself - specifically, Asperger's.

I was diagnosed at an EXTREMELY young age - I believe only 4.  It was initially discovered in my preschool years, when the "teachers" (I'd be hardpressed to call them that by higher education standards!) realized that I had a tendency to "keep to myself" much of the time, and not interact with/"seek out" opportunities to engage/play with others.  Subsequent psychological analysis indeed confirmed I had Asperger's (as some of these early, "classic symptoms" would suggest).  And one time, at like age 3 or 4, I was wrongfully put in a "time-out" for being accused of "teasing" as a result of random talking to myself - which NO ONE else around me (not even other kids) noticed.  Felt bad about that for the greater first half of my life.

In my earlier days of elementary school (prior to going into a private school), I always felt like an "outcast" as I had a ton of trouble with basic academics, including even Kindergarten math and writing.  Writing and math (math is still not a "forte" of mine but I improved TREMENDOUSLY) were my top NEMESES back then.  This would almost always cause the completely inept classroom "aides" to yell at and/or shame me in front of other classmates, which was VERY tough.  In addition, they would even yell at me and make me look terrible at recess just because I wasn't trying to interact with anyone and simply wanted to be by myself.

The most hurtful thing, however, was when one particular classroom "aide" would sometimes mock my speech impediment, which I received therapy for until ~age 10.  I recall the scenario (like it was yesterday!) when I would say "speech" incorrectly - I would say it "SUH-PEECH" (so in two "chunks"), and then she would repeat that to MY FACE IN FRONT OF OTHER CLASSMATES!!!! I don't know why I never spoke up - maybe I was just too young and naive at the time that I somehow thought mistreatment and humiliation was "normal" for "outcasts" (which I thought I was but didn't even know that term back then) myself.  Beyond this, the same "aide" would frequently threaten to deprive me of my lunch/food if I didn't start "doing my work," even though any perceived "laziness" was purely the result of the fact that I didn't understand the work being put in front of me.  :'(

As of today, the largest impact of being on the "spectrum" is my resulting (clinical) anxiety (and now depression) and OCD, plus the uncomfortable nature of new social situations (especially when it involves "far-away" {from me, at least} relatives and/or people only known by my parents).  In addition, I tend to take things more "literally" than other people, and also am slower than others in processing new and/or complex information.  Interestingly enough, however, I tend to get along famously with most of the customers I encounter at work (as I work in a retail environment).  Go figure.

You are not alone.  I have been picked on from my peers when I was in the high school.

Yes, I had to go to special school for the half day along with the 'regular' school which it is mainstream school with deaf classroom during my late elementary school years.

I think perhaps more people might be persuaded to post on this topic if it was viewable only by registered members of this site.

Not sure if that can be done, as it is a board can be made viewable by members only, such as the Web Finds board, but I don't think it's possible for an individual topic.

I'll mention it to Patrick and see if he has any ideas.

I am autistic

I never thought I'd say it in public, but I do have Aspergers. When I was much younger, my mother took me to see all sorts of idiot doctors. She even put me in an after school program thing. It was terrible.

I went to a therapy place in 2014 but recently ended. The place was junk.