"Feeling different" is often a starting point for people wondering whether they might be autistic. Autistic people are born with brains that process the world differently, in a way that impacts how they relate to and communicate with others.
From childhood onward, autistic people are often ostracised or singled out by other people. Even when they haven't experienced this type of behaviour, they're often aware of the effort they have to put into just getting through the day and the fact that their efforts don't always seem to land right.
Feeling different, then, is a part of most autistic people's experience. But given the recent interest in autism, people often overlook other factors that could equally have led to them feeling different. While the following list is not exhaustive, here are other reasons you might feel different.
1. Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse
Any child living through physical, sexual, or emotional abuse will often not know how to process or respond to that experience and may experience a sense of shame.1 Shame tends to be shrouded in secrecy and can lead to a sense of feeling apart from or different from others in addition to internalising a feeling that there is something "wrong" with them.
2. Being physically different from other children
Children tend to single out any kids who are "different" and may pick on children who are physically different from the desired social "norm." In a meta-analysis of 28 studies, for example, children regarded being overweight as negative,2 attitudes that are at the root of the stigmatisation of overweight and obese children.3
Another study showed that adolescents considered unattractive or bad at sports were also more likely to be unpopular.4 From childhood onward, if others treat you differently based on your appearance, it's natural to feel that you are different.
3. Growing up in poverty
Growing up in relative poverty can have an impact on children's mental health, academic attainment, and relationships with their parents, and can restrict children's capacity to participate in certain social activities.5 One study showed a link........