10 Hidden Childhood Autistic Traits That Make Sense Now

The early signs that are easily missed in Autistic Children

The image was created on Canva by author Shamiha Said.

Whilst it may feel like autism diagnoses are on the rise, and they are, the number of people who are autistic perhaps remains stagnant. You see, the reason why more children and adults are being diagnosed with autism is because there is far more understanding, awareness and research as to what autism is and how it presents differently amongst genders, cultures, environments, socio-economic backgrounds, ethnic backgrounds and ages. Autism is a spectrum disorder, and those of us with lower support needs have often fallen under the radar. However, this started to change when Asperger’s Syndrome was removed from the DSM in 2013, and many of us were finally being recognised or started to realise that we’re autistic.

I was diagnosed with autism and ADHD almost three years ago, and whilst I have low support needs, there are many traits, quirks and behaviours I presented in my childhood that make sense now that might be useful for you to know:

1. Avoidant Restrictive Eating

It is estimated that up to 33% of autistic children are also diagnosed with Avoidant-Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFRID), and up to 89% of autistic children display some difficulty with eating. More commonly…