Serious Should I get tested for autism

[sub3genecel]

I know im not neurotypical but i dont know if i want it to be labeled. I have displayed some of the traits of autism and i was always an outsider growing up but some could also be from the trauma of growing up ugly and poor and the trauma I have from my father and his drug abuse and death.
There is a possibility of me having it and my mother just never telling me or ignoring the signs because she didn’t want it to be true either. She has some sort of degree in social science and she claims she knew my older cousin was autistic since he was a little kid before he got tested but she never talks about me being nd even though she absolutely knows I am.
My autistic cousin also is basically the only one in my family that I really get along with. If I do have autism I would be slightly higher functioning than him or I am just better at masking than him.
Would I get any government benefits in the us if I was diagnosed? That is a very big factor for me because I already don’t have a lot of money and still live in an upper middle class area.

 

[turbocuckcel_7000]

you win some you lose some

 

[SubhumanOldcel]

Yes, maybe you can get autismbuxx.

 

[The Wolf]

I highly doubt you will get benefits. I know it exists in the US, but it's hard to get. You'd have to somehow prove that you can't get hired because of your autism.

 

[sub3genecel]

I highly doubt you will get benefits. I know it exists in the US, but it's hard to get. You'd have to somehow prove that you can't get hired because of your autism.

I already have a shitty minimum wage job it’s over

 

[UndeadDeadMan]

I've always been considered a "healthy individual" although "really strange/erratic", which right off the bat is a weird contradiction. I always walked around hunched, mouth breathe, and had scoliosis. I requested x-rays from my spine from time to time (and more detailed over time too), to see how it progressed. Eventually, one of the reports suggested to take a look at the legs, to see if there is any difference between them, although this report was not considered a valid medical prescription on its own.

In mid-2023 after MUCH insistance, I finally got a prescription from a health professional and ... voila. I found that my left leg was shorter than the right, which was fucking up the entire posterior chain. In 2025, I investigated a weird pain I had in the left jaw. Not only did I found out that my mouth was asymmetrical (it made my face deformed-looking), I also had a horribly deviated septum that didn't let me breathe properly (this explains the mouth breathing). Finally in 2026, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea.

Why am I talking about this stuff? Because the symptoms of these physical conditions can be mistaken for symptoms of neurodivergent conditions - walking hunchbacked, mouth breathing, not having enough energy during the day due to lack of sleep, dark bags under the eyes, not being able to pay attention to things, and so on.

I have since fixed or mitigated some of these issues, and I intend to get tested for autism/adhd later this year, because I'm obsessed with data and the truth; I want to truly know what happened and why so I can die in peace knowing these things weren't my fault. Although I would like to get some kind of benefit/support as well if possible.

TL;DR to truly know the truth, you have to make sure you don't have other health conditions that could be interpreted/mistaken for autism. However, if your objective is to obtain the govt benefits to get by, you could shoot your shot I suppose

 

[turbocuckcel_7000]

I've always been considered a "healthy individual" although "really strange/erratic", which right off the bat is a weird contradiction. I always walked around hunched, mouth breathe, and had scoliosis. I requested x-rays from my spine from time to time (and more detailed over time too), to see how it progressed. Eventually, one of the reports suggested to take a look at the legs, to see if there is any difference between them, although this report was not considered a valid medical prescription on its own.

In mid-2023 after MUCH insistance, I finally got a prescription from a health professional and ... voila. I found that my left leg was shorter than the right, which was fucking up the entire posterior chain. In 2025, I investigated a weird pain I had in the left jaw. Not only did I found out that my mouth was asymmetrical (it made my face deformed-looking), I also had a horribly deviated septum that didn't let me breathe properly (this explains the mouth breathing). Finally in 2026, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea.

Why am I talking about this stuff? Because the symptoms of these physical conditions can be mistaken for symptoms of neurodivergent conditions - walking hunchbacked, mouth breathing, not having enough energy during the day due to lack of sleep, dark bags under the eyes, not being able to pay attention to things, and so on.

I have since fixed or mitigated some of these issues, and I intend to get tested for autism/adhd later this year, because I'm obsessed with data and the truth; I want to truly know what happened and why so I can die in peace knowing these things weren't my fault. Although I would like to get some kind of benefit/support as well if possible.

TL;DR to truly know the truth, you have to make sure you don't have other health conditions that could be interpreted/mistaken for autism. However, if your objective is to obtain the govt benefits to get by, you could shoot your shot I suppose

i have all of those too and probably even worse (my sleep apnea is very resistant to treatment including CPAP, it's worsened by fluid buildup that comes from somewhere else, possibly liver/kidney/pancreas problems)

but that's not what made me weird and reclusive and fucked up, it was childhood trauma that did that.

these physical problems are not that uncommon, especially sleep apnea among men, and yet men succeed and men are notorious for bothering their female partners with their sleep problems and getting diagnosed only after their girlfriends and wives complain

but the mental problems are less common and cause the most damage, they are what will turn you reclusive and avoidant and unable to handle stressors. remember that being unable to get a hot girlfriend is one thing, but being unable to even keep a few loser friends around is something else entirely.

 

[UndeadDeadMan]

my sleep apnea is very resistant to treatment including CPAP

This is very concerning. I've seen a CPAP machine already, because one of my neighbours has it, and it looks/sounds like a pain in the ass.

but the mental problems are less common and cause the most damage, they are what will turn you reclusive and avoidant and unable to handle stressors

Yes. I know at this point I'll never be 100% normal, I was bullied as early as kindergarten and my parents were very impulsive, with my dad being a drunk serial cheater, among other things. Sometimes it's difficult to pinpoint which cause/event was responsible for which effect because it's like 50 different things.