What do you think?
Could I Really Be Autistic?
Perhaps a child in your family has been diagnosed as autistic, your therapist has suggested it, or people you know have called you 'Rain Man' throughout your life. Whatever the reason, here you are, either seeking to confirm or dispel the idea that you might be autistic.
Written by two experts in autism assessment, this is a pathway for you to explore the likelihood of meeting the diagnostic threshold for autism, while offering advice on possible next steps.
With guidance on ways autism can manifest in day-to-day life, factors that prompt people to wrongly dismiss the label (I'm too old/clever/social/ married!), commonly co-occurring conditions, and alternative explanations for autistic traits - this will help you decide whether a professional assessment is appropriate, and give you the best chance of an accurate outcome should you seek one.
Filling the gap between self-identification and formal diagnosis, this rigorous, accessible guide to diagnosis will give you confidence in taking the next steps on your autism journey.
Written by two experts in autism assessment, this is a pathway for you to explore the likelihood of meeting the diagnostic threshold for autism, while offering advice on possible next steps.
With guidance on ways autism can manifest in day-to-day life, factors that prompt people to wrongly dismiss the label (I'm too old/clever/social/ married!), commonly co-occurring conditions, and alternative explanations for autistic traits - this will help you decide whether a professional assessment is appropriate, and give you the best chance of an accurate outcome should you seek one.
Filling the gap between self-identification and formal diagnosis, this rigorous, accessible guide to diagnosis will give you confidence in taking the next steps on your autism journey.
240 pages, Paperback
Published October 21, 2025
About the author
Sarah Hendrickx
15 books126 followersSarah Hendrickx is an autistic author, speaker and freelance writer. She is author of 8 published books on a variety of subjects - autism, cookery and overseas living. Sarah also writes monthly columns on overseas living for Standard Issue magazine and Mediterranean Gardening and Outdoor Living magazines as well as articles for web and print.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 1, 2025
*I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
As someone who's on a quest to validate my self-diagnosis of being Autistic and gather more evidence for a possible future professional diagnosis, this book was perfect for what I was looking for. It's easy to access, is written with a variety of examples that aren't the exact same ones you'll find in every other book about Autism, and the questions are extremely helpful.
What I really connected with in this book was the fact that whilst not being explicitly tailored to females/ people who don't identify as male, it heavily focuses on the differences and experiences women might find compared to males. I nodded at so many things that I already suspected and knew, and also found myself raising a brow or two at new things I hadn't heard of or thought about before.
I always find it hard to voice my opinions on non-fiction due to everybody's take on it being different depending on the reasoning for their reading, but I can honestly say that this book truly is worth reading for anyone who's seeking out answers to a possible Autism diagnosis or other factors that may lead them to believe they're atypical.
The book also has sections where you can write down answers, make notes, and do mini questionnaires that you can tally up at the end to see if there's a high chance you could be on the spectrum. I was using my Kindle to read so I couldn't do this, but I did make notes elsewhere.
Regardless of whether you're deep in the trenches of figuring yourself out or whether you've only just began to suspect and research, I highly recommend giving this book a read- it's tremendously useful!
5/5 🌟
As someone who's on a quest to validate my self-diagnosis of being Autistic and gather more evidence for a possible future professional diagnosis, this book was perfect for what I was looking for. It's easy to access, is written with a variety of examples that aren't the exact same ones you'll find in every other book about Autism, and the questions are extremely helpful.
What I really connected with in this book was the fact that whilst not being explicitly tailored to females/ people who don't identify as male, it heavily focuses on the differences and experiences women might find compared to males. I nodded at so many things that I already suspected and knew, and also found myself raising a brow or two at new things I hadn't heard of or thought about before.
I always find it hard to voice my opinions on non-fiction due to everybody's take on it being different depending on the reasoning for their reading, but I can honestly say that this book truly is worth reading for anyone who's seeking out answers to a possible Autism diagnosis or other factors that may lead them to believe they're atypical.
The book also has sections where you can write down answers, make notes, and do mini questionnaires that you can tally up at the end to see if there's a high chance you could be on the spectrum. I was using my Kindle to read so I couldn't do this, but I did make notes elsewhere.
Regardless of whether you're deep in the trenches of figuring yourself out or whether you've only just began to suspect and research, I highly recommend giving this book a read- it's tremendously useful!
5/5 🌟
May 15, 2026
Should you read this book? Sadly, no.
This book reads more like a scientific paper than a self-help book. It describes autism in a general way and does not go into great depth with any of the things described. As such, I didn't find it to be of any help in helping me determine whether I was autistic or not. Only using the descriptions in the book, I would not diagnose myself as autistic, even though I was officially diagnosed with autism while waiting for this book to be available at the library.
The book also did not provide me with any new information on the topic of autism. If you have already taken a deep dive on the internet and read/watched anything you could find about autism, then it's unlikely that this book will provide you with new information.
This book reads more like a scientific paper than a self-help book. It describes autism in a general way and does not go into great depth with any of the things described. As such, I didn't find it to be of any help in helping me determine whether I was autistic or not. Only using the descriptions in the book, I would not diagnose myself as autistic, even though I was officially diagnosed with autism while waiting for this book to be available at the library.
The book also did not provide me with any new information on the topic of autism. If you have already taken a deep dive on the internet and read/watched anything you could find about autism, then it's unlikely that this book will provide you with new information.
August 4, 2026
Helpful and informative. Easy to read. Rach chapter ended with questions to answer to help those in the process of seeking an official diagnosis.
July 6, 2026
Excellent book! I read this one after finding myself strongly resonating with Hendrickx’s prior book; Women and Girls on the Autism Spectrum.
This is a perfect book for people who are questioning their neurodiversity later in life. I found it accessible and not overly medical, even a bit humorous at times. It felt personal and comfortable, as if Sarah herself were sitting with me and sharing exactly what I needed to know about moving from a suspicion of autism, to being confident in a self-diagnoses of autism (and ADHD); which for me has been a huge relief. I finally have the explanation to the things I’ve always struggled with.
Thank you Sarah & Jess!!
This is a perfect book for people who are questioning their neurodiversity later in life. I found it accessible and not overly medical, even a bit humorous at times. It felt personal and comfortable, as if Sarah herself were sitting with me and sharing exactly what I needed to know about moving from a suspicion of autism, to being confident in a self-diagnoses of autism (and ADHD); which for me has been a huge relief. I finally have the explanation to the things I’ve always struggled with.
Thank you Sarah & Jess!!
September 26, 2026
Aufmerksame Mitlesende wissen, dass ich mich seit ein paar Jahren mit dem Thema Autismus beschäftige und auch schon einige Bücher darüber gelesen habe. Was nun macht "Could I really be autistic?" anders, dass ich ihm einen eigenen Blogeintrag widme?
1. Es beginnt nicht mit den Basics: Kein "Was ist Autismus und was sind Symptome" sondern harte Fakten aus dem DSM und ICD. Im zweiten Kapitel dann auch weniger klinisch aufbereitet.
2. Es zieht das Thema von einer anderen Seite auf: Kapitel wie "I can't be autistic because..." oder "What else could it be" beschäftigen sich mit den Selbstzweifeln, die sich zwangsweise einschleichen (besonders bei Menschen, die erst spät eine Diagnose verfolgen) und erläutern, welche anderen Krankheiten (und Komorbiditäten) es gibt, die ähnliche Symptome haben - und wie sie sich von Autismus unterscheiden, sodass man fundiert nachdenken kann. Das waren die beiden Kapitel, die mich vom Kauf überzeugt haben und die waren auch wirklich die interessantesten.
3. Es ist lustig. Es nimmt die Fragestellungen nicht zu ernst und macht sich auch über sich selbst lustig. Sehr sympathisch:
"And thus, dear reader, we have come to the end of our journey through the exploration of your, or that of someone close to you, potential autisticness, autisticability, or autsticity (I'm just making up words now)."
4. Am Ende gibt es nicht nur Platz, eigene Gedanken und Symptome zu notieren (oder für einen möglichen Arztbesuch vorzubereiten), sondern auch Links zu diversen Tests und eine Tabelle, in der man übersichtlich die Ergebnisse festhalten kann. So gibt es quasi keine Ausrede mehr - wenn man eine Liste angefangen hat, ist schon alles verloren.
Schließlich nimmt es einen doch an die Hand und bereitet auf eine positive oder negative Diagnose vor und wie man künftig damit umgehen könnte.
Also: Falls ihr auf der Suche nach euch selbst seid, ist dieses Buch eine unbedingte Empfehlung von mir auf dem Weg!
"Let us reassure you that it is never too late to have an autism assessment: the oldest person we have assessed was 87 years of age and she said that she wanted to know why she had felt so different before the end of her life." - schnüff.
~ 26.09.2026
1. Es beginnt nicht mit den Basics: Kein "Was ist Autismus und was sind Symptome" sondern harte Fakten aus dem DSM und ICD. Im zweiten Kapitel dann auch weniger klinisch aufbereitet.
2. Es zieht das Thema von einer anderen Seite auf: Kapitel wie "I can't be autistic because..." oder "What else could it be" beschäftigen sich mit den Selbstzweifeln, die sich zwangsweise einschleichen (besonders bei Menschen, die erst spät eine Diagnose verfolgen) und erläutern, welche anderen Krankheiten (und Komorbiditäten) es gibt, die ähnliche Symptome haben - und wie sie sich von Autismus unterscheiden, sodass man fundiert nachdenken kann. Das waren die beiden Kapitel, die mich vom Kauf überzeugt haben und die waren auch wirklich die interessantesten.
3. Es ist lustig. Es nimmt die Fragestellungen nicht zu ernst und macht sich auch über sich selbst lustig. Sehr sympathisch:
"And thus, dear reader, we have come to the end of our journey through the exploration of your, or that of someone close to you, potential autisticness, autisticability, or autsticity (I'm just making up words now)."
4. Am Ende gibt es nicht nur Platz, eigene Gedanken und Symptome zu notieren (oder für einen möglichen Arztbesuch vorzubereiten), sondern auch Links zu diversen Tests und eine Tabelle, in der man übersichtlich die Ergebnisse festhalten kann. So gibt es quasi keine Ausrede mehr - wenn man eine Liste angefangen hat, ist schon alles verloren.
Schließlich nimmt es einen doch an die Hand und bereitet auf eine positive oder negative Diagnose vor und wie man künftig damit umgehen könnte.
Also: Falls ihr auf der Suche nach euch selbst seid, ist dieses Buch eine unbedingte Empfehlung von mir auf dem Weg!
"Let us reassure you that it is never too late to have an autism assessment: the oldest person we have assessed was 87 years of age and she said that she wanted to know why she had felt so different before the end of her life." - schnüff.
~ 26.09.2026
September 21, 2026
Could I Really Be Autistic? walks through how autism can show up in everyday life, the reasons people often talk themselves out of the label (too old, too social, too successful), and conditions or explanations that can look similar but aren't autism. It's designed to fill the gap between suspecting you might be autistic and pursuing a formal diagnosis, helping readers decide whether a professional assessment is the right next step.
Each chapter closes with a reflection point, and the book leaves space at the end for readers to record their own thoughts against the diagnostic criteria. It handles the "what if I'm not autistic" possibility with care, making clear that reading the book and reflecting on your own experience is worthwhile either way. This book is tailored more toward people who are likely to be low-support needs, high-masking and/or late-diagnosed.
Each chapter closes with a reflection point, and the book leaves space at the end for readers to record their own thoughts against the diagnostic criteria. It handles the "what if I'm not autistic" possibility with care, making clear that reading the book and reflecting on your own experience is worthwhile either way. This book is tailored more toward people who are likely to be low-support needs, high-masking and/or late-diagnosed.
December 9, 2025
(I received an e-arc from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review)
Unfortunately this book just wasn't for me, as it is more on the technical side. The diagnostic criteria is also made in the UK and the rest of Europe, with not much though given to North America or other countries. Maybe there was some more personal aspects but I was only able to get through about 20% of the book. Once again thank you to Net Galley for providing me with the E-ARC.
Unfortunately this book just wasn't for me, as it is more on the technical side. The diagnostic criteria is also made in the UK and the rest of Europe, with not much though given to North America or other countries. Maybe there was some more personal aspects but I was only able to get through about 20% of the book. Once again thank you to Net Galley for providing me with the E-ARC.
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February 18, 2026to 43 minutes
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews