There are many different kinds of nervous characteristics that one diagnosed with SAD can have. However, keep a note that these mannerisms and characteristics also occur in Autism. Some people with SAD can have Autistic traits, some Autistic people can be diagnosed with social anxiety, some people can be diagnosed with social anxiety with a misread Autism diagnosis that remains missed. There is a lot of overlap!

Note the various symptoms and causes of a SAD diagnosis, listed higher up on this portion of the site. Take that and compare it to the criteria for an Autism diagnosis. For someone to be diagnosed with Autism, they have to show persistent signs of each three areas of the first list with social communication/interaction. They also must show at least two of four kinds of restricted/repetitive behaviors in the second list. Both lists are down below (Provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention):

Social Communication/Interaction: Persistent signs in social communication and interaction that can be caused by many and/or multiple contexts (all examples are illustrative, not exhaustive):

• Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, ranging, for example, from abnormal social approach and failure of normal back-and-forth conversation; to reduced sharing of interests, emotions, or affect; to failure to initiate or respond to social interactions.

• Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, ranging, for example, from poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication; to abnormalities in eye contact and body language or deficits in understanding and use of gestures; to a total lack of facial expressions and nonverbal communication.

• Deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships, ranging, for example, from difficulties adjusting behavior to suit various social contexts; to difficulties in sharing imaginative play or in making friends; to absence of interest in peers.

Restricted/Repetitive Behaviors: Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities, as manifested by at least two of the following (all examples are illustrative, not exhaustive):

• Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects, or speech (Ex: Simple motor stereotypes, lining up toys or flipping objects, echolalia, idiosyncratic phrases).

• Insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualized patterns of verbal or nonverbal behavior (Ex: Extreme distress at small changes, difficulties with transitions, rigid thinking patterns, greeting rituals, need to take the same route or eat the same food every day).

• Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus (Ex: Strong attachment to or preoccupation with unusual objects, excessively circumscribed or perseverative interests).

• Hyper- or hyporeactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of the environment (Ex: Apparent indifference to pain/temperature, adverse response to specific sounds or textures, excessive smelling or touching or objects, visual fascination with lights or movement).

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Take note of the overlaps! It can be hard to determine the differences, especially when both traits of SAD and Autism are occurring at once. But, here are a few traits to take note on with the context of Autism (as provided from Neurodivergent Insights):

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Eye Contact - A study discovered that someone who is socially anxious make initial eye contact with another person but then look away. This pattern of eye contact associated with anxiety is used as an emotional avoidance strategy. Someone who is Autistic will be slower with making eye contact due to either discomfort with eye contact or the lack of motivation for eye contact.

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Social Motivation - Some Autistic people can be highly socially motivated, some need lots of alone time. Someone with social anxiety might experience more sadness and strain when they are socially isolated, while someone with Autism may feel more comfortable. It's very essential to recognize that, even though many Autistic people have less social motivation, this exists on a spectrum.

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Body Posture - Someone with social anxiety are more likely to talk in a timid voice and stand farther away from others. Autistic people (who aren't masking: to hide or disguise parts of oneself in order to better fit in with those around you) may be less aware of the typical neurotypical social expectations. Autistic people tend to either stand too close to people or stand far away from people and experience discomfort when other people stand close to them.

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Social Cues - Someone with social anxiety will intuitively read social cues. Autistic people will either struggle to read cues or will read cues through their pre-frontal cortex of their brain (analytically). Some Autistic people who are high-masking can be very good at analytically reading social cues. But, they can experience debilitating fatigue after being in social situations where they do this for prolonged periods of time.

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Body Language - Someone with SAD tend to have heightened sensitivity to the body language of other people. For Autistic people, they can struggle to pick up the meanings of someone else's body language. Autistic people who are high-masking are more likely to be hypersensitive in an emotional tone, which may be interpreted as the ability to interpret body language intuitively. They may analytically study body language, rather than intuitively understanding body language.

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Note that symptoms of social anxiety and traits of Autism can co-occur. Someone who has symptoms of social anxiety can make it difficult to detect whether or not they also show traits of Autism.