Hi,
I'll not go into how the situation has come about, however, I think I'm heading towards a mid-life diagnosis of mild Autism Spectrum Disorder (certain OCD traits and overly methodical with simple tasks) accompanied by mild AD-HD (variations in my energy levels plus occasional losses of concentration on and memory of tasks - I tend to remember later on).
As regards the ASD, that in the past would have been covered by possibly the terminology "high functioning" (I've high IQ and gone quite far as regards education) and "Asbergers". These terms are not in regular use anymore as they are considered non-PC.
I used to take things more literally (I tend to hold back now just to assess if someone is being sarcastic and not literal - though still can be caught out), with humour, sociability and people-reading traits properly developing more so later in life, which I've been told may be due to mimicking, a coping strategy used by ASD people (I'm not going to use the term sufferer). Lone activities (I like long walks on my own to get my head straight), not liking noisy atmospheres without preparation, etc. are all there. In the latter respect, I might prefer a quieter pub where I can talk or be able to think rather than a noisy bar.
This has got me to wondering if there's a link between crossdressing and ASD. I understand certain tastes and textures can be preferable to ASD people, so was wondering if the textures of women's clothing may lend itself to this. Say when we were young, our early memories are of the mother figure being the key person of our lives and hence we subconciously remember the feel of their clothing. Crossdressing gives us that feel perhaps?
I'm also reading circumstantially about a greater tendency in non-binary and trans people to be diagnosed with ASD. That said, this latter observation may apply more to those born as a woman (I may be wrong on this).
Thoughts?
Sue