In June 2022 I was formally diagnosed as autistic. Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental difference, which means that I have been autistic from birth; I just didn't know it until recently. I sought out a formal assessment because I went through a severe burnout, from which I am now in the process of recovering.
Diagnostic manuals define one of the two necessary criteria for an autism diagnosis as "persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts" (the other is "restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests, or activities"). Within the last decade, however, research has shown that these supposed "deficits" are in fact due to a difference in communication style -- communication between two autistic people has been shown to be just as effective (and enjoyable) as communication between two neurotypical (non-autistic) people; it's only "cross-neurotype" communication that presents difficulties, and in that situation both parties exhibit deficits. This phenomenon is known as the "double empathy problem".
Within the physics world I find that I have no difficulty engaging in social interaction and communication with the great majority of my physics colleagues. This makes me suspect that many of my physics colleagues are also autistic or other neurodivergent (anecdotally, autistic people and ADHD'ers also communicate fluently with each other). If you find me easy to chat with and relate to, you may want to consider the possibility that you too are autistic or other neurodivergent. In my experience, the best way to start investigating this possibility is to seek out the personal narratives of late-diagnosed autistic people and see if you find commonalities between their inner experiences and your own.
I am happy to talk about this. :)
Heather
July 2022