Yes, but how much. A spectrum represents a gliding scale. Some autism is barely noticeable, others go 'full retard'. So are you able to somewhat mask your autism or are you clearly autistic? And if you're clearly autistic, how does it show?
My case of ASD is mild.
When one has severe autism, it typically shows in their appearance. A few forum members have privately seen what I look like. I remember asking one if I "look" like I'm on the spectrum (based on appearance alone). He said no.
With how mild my case is, I mask it pretty well.
My ASD mainly manifests itself in a few ways:
- Difficulty reading a woman's cues
- Lack of understanding of social norms
- Hard time relating to others
- Ritualistic behavior
- I hate uncertainty
- Not a party animal (not even when I was a teen)
If anything, the fact my case is mild is somewhat of a curse. Since I'm not
clearly autistic to the outside world, they see no reason for me to possess the oddities I possess (which leads to the woman getting freaked out).
Not that being clearly autistic would be any better (in fact, my luck with the ladies would be worse if I was clearly autistic). But at least if I was clearly autistic, the outside world would know to expect oddities from me.