Less Labeling. More Understanding. - autistic traits in relationships
- hmotro
- Aug 13
- 2 min read
You’ve been wondering for a while.
You’ve read a few articles.
Listened to a podcast.
And now the question is sitting quietly in your mind—
Is my partner autistic?
But you haven’t said it out loud.
Not to him.
Not yet.
You’re afraid it’ll sound like a diagnosis.
Or a criticism.
So you keep it to yourself, feeling stuck.
Here’s the good news—
You don’t have to start with a label.
You can start with traits.
Does your partner take things literally?
Avoid emotional conversations?
Struggle with physical affection?
Collapse after socializing?
Seem distant during intimacy?
Get easily overwhelmed by light, sound, or change?
Feel crushed by criticism or rejection?
These patterns are real.
They’re measurable.
You can ask him to take our "trait" screeners.It’s often easier than asking him to take an autism test.
You don’t need to say “I think you’re autistic.”
You can just say, “These traits show up in our relationship. I’d love to understand them better.”
That invitation can lower defenses.
It’s not about judgment.
It’s about clarity.
We offer screeners that help identify the traits behind the behavior
—Without pressure.
Without jumping to conclusions.
We offer a full range of screeners to explore autistic traits:
We also look at emotions:
And we go deeper into areas that impact relationships:
These tools don’t define a person.
They help explain what’s happening.
They give couples new language.
You don’t need to chase a diagnosis to make progress.
Start with traits.
Start with clarity.
And when you’re ready,
We’ll help you turn insight into change.
Harry Motro
Clinical Director, Neurodiverse Couples Counseling Center
© 2025 New Path Family of Therapy Centers Inc. All rights reserved. No portion of these statements may be reproduced, redistributed, or used in any form without explicit written permission from the New Path Family of Therapy Centers.
Specialties
Neurodiverse Couples
Autism, ADHD, AuDHD
Parenting (Neurotypical & Neurodiverse)
Blended Families
Cassandra Syndrome Support
Somatic Therapies
Internal Family Systems
Trauma healing
Life Experience
Lived through a neurodiverse marriage that ended in divorce, gaining firsthand insight into the challenges of misaligned communication, emotional rhythms, and unmet needs.
Over a decade into a new, hard-earned partnership, navigating the ongoing work of blending families, healing old wounds, and choosing connection over comfort—even when it’s hard.
Brings real-world empathy to couples work, shaped by personal experience with both disconnection and deep repair, offering grounded support instead of quick fixes.
Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, AMFT #145908,
Supervised by Dr. Harry Motro, LMFT #53452
Want to learn more about yourself?
Explore our sister site, Adult Autism Assessment, and take a deeper dive into your journey of self-discovery. Click the links below to get started!
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