Self-Assessment Tools

I find social situations exhausting and need significant alone time to recover.

I have intense, specific interests that I immerse myself in for hours.

I'm sensitive to sensory input — lights, sounds, textures, or smells can feel overwhelming.

I struggle with changes to my routine or unexpected plans.

I notice patterns, details, or systems that others seem to miss.

I find myself masking — copying others' expressions, forcing eye contact, or hiding stims.

I have repetitive movements or behaviours (stimming) that help me regulate — like hand-flapping, rocking, pacing, or spinning.

I take things literally and sometimes miss sarcasm, jokes, or implied meaning.

Eye contact feels intense, distracting, or uncomfortable — I have to force it or avoid it.

I experience meltdowns or shutdowns when overwhelmed — I may withdraw completely or lose control of my emotions.

I prefer to do things the same way every time and feel distressed when my routines are disrupted.

I often feel like I'm "performing" being normal — my social interactions feel scripted or rehearsed.

I struggle to start tasks, even ones I want to do (executive dysfunction).

I lose track of time frequently or have "time blindness."

My mind races with multiple thoughts at once, making it hard to focus on one thing.

I interrupt people or blurt things out without meaning to.

I rely on adrenaline, deadlines, or urgency to get things done.

I feel restless — fidgeting, tapping, or needing to move even when I should sit still.

I have poor working memory — I forget what I was doing, lose items constantly, or walk into a room and forget why.

Small rejections or criticisms feel devastating to me (rejection sensitivity).

I hyperfocus on things I'm interested in, to the point of forgetting to eat, sleep, or take care of myself.

I struggle with boredom — I need constant stimulation or novelty to stay engaged.

If I can't see something, it essentially ceases to exist for me — out of sight, out of mind.

My sleep is affected by my racing thoughts — I either can't fall asleep or have an irregular sleep schedule.

I crave routine but also get bored by it — I'm torn between structure and novelty.

I can hyperfocus intensely on something but also get distracted by everything around me.

I need alone time to regulate but then feel lonely or understimulated.

My mood and energy levels swing rapidly — I can go from energized to completely drained.

I simultaneously want deep connection and find it overwhelming to maintain.

I experience sensory seeking (craving stimulation) and sensory avoidance at different times.

My need for sameness clashes with my need for novelty — I constantly feel pulled in opposite directions.

I mask both autistic traits and ADHD traits depending on who I'm with — it's exhausting maintaining both.

I experience a unique burnout where I'm both overstimulated and understimulated at the same time.

I can plan things in immense detail but struggle to execute even the simplest step.

Social situations feel both understimulating (I get bored) and overstimulating (too much input) simultaneously.

I cycle through hobbies intensely — each one feels like a special interest, but I abandon them when the novelty fades.

Little interest or pleasure in doing things

Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless

Trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much

Feeling tired or having little energy

Poor appetite or overeating

Feeling bad about yourself - or that you are a failure or have let yourself or your family down

Trouble concentrating on things, such as reading the newspaper or watching television

Moving or speaking so slowly that other people could have noticed? Or the opposite - being so fidgety or restless that you have been moving around a lot more than usual

Thoughts that you would be better off dead, or of hurting yourself in some way

Feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge

Not being able to stop or control worrying

Worrying too much about different things

Trouble relaxing

Being so restless that it is hard to sit still

Becoming easily annoyed or irritable

Feeling afraid as if something awful might happen