Is this acquaintance of mine autist?

I have been wondering for a long time if a guy who attend to my school is autist.
He certainly have a mental disorder because he is the most diferente person I ever knew.

What got me more suspicious about austism was when I realize he had serously motricity problems executing movements, specialy hand movements, when they required fine motricity (like tying a lace) or he had to copy someone else movement. There was a time when all he had to do was to click a boton on a laser pen and people where giving him verbal instrution how he should do that and he couldn't. And they were very simple.

He has lots of social issues, he doesn't have friends and he doesn't mind about that, he is also very stuburn, like no one else I ever know.

He doesn't speak very much, most of the time (like 99% of the time) he is quite, and he has na facial expression like he is mind absent, also most of the time.

I had try to speak to him in circunstances I needed and many times he didn't answer back, like he hadn't even heard me.

I'm not aware if he has a special interest. He is a med student as I am, and as you can imagine his interation with the patients is awfull. He only speaks when his ask a specific think to the patients. There was a time when the teacher told him he had to entreview alone the patient. We had already done it many times, and the question are generaly always the same. But he couldn't do it. The teacher had to tell him "now ask the patients name", he would do just that, for him to go further he had to told "don't you have to know the patients age" and then he would ask the age. And the rest of the interview was like this.
When we do these interviews in groups, even in groups of two he never says a word.

He only spoke to 2 ou 3 classmates of mine, we wouldn't speak to literaly anyone else. He never spoke about himself, his life, his opinions and so one.

From what these friends of mine could know about him, by asking him and guessing till hardly getting na answer (otherwise he wouldn't say anything) he spent most time of the day playing guitar, and he only knew few songs, so the same songs over and over, until he would forget to eat sleep or study.

Before this it was the same thing but with an internet game. And after he conviced is parents to brought the guitar to is apartment near the school, he failed almost all the exams, he missed many classes, and when he was in the classes all he wanted was to go home and play guitar. Of course he failed the year.

So,what do you think? I once shared my suspicious with the classmates of mine that talk to him and they laugh at me, they told it was impossible, that I didn't know what austism his, and that he couldn't be autist because he talked to people and they could say it was perceptive he liked those moments... But they clearly don't know what austism is.

Hi, mulan. I am no expert, but he could have other emotional/neurological problems. Remember that autism historically was on a scale from mild asperger's to profound autism. (or something like that)

Hey, I need help here!

So, do you think that any of this symptoms resemble Autism. I had thought about other problems, but anything make sense. In on hand is seems very stupid and not at all smart, incaple of controling wisely is own life, but in what concerns study he has a great memory and he can achieve nice grades, but if you ask him a simple logic question in doesn't know it.
It is very strange. I am concerned about what kind of doctor he may be, since he doesn't caré about school and was his mother that chose and filed the pappers for him to be on med school, because he didn't want anything. He told this laughing...

The best thing he can have, is a friend. No matter what diagnosis, it will still remain uncertain unless it's an official diagnosis. No matter what is going on, having a friend can be a great helpful thing to someone.
Some of it sounds like autism.. some of it also sounds like other things... I think this person may have more than one issue going on, that's causing difficulty in really pinpointing it.
having autism can actually be a positive thing, if his field of knowledge and curiousity is in the doctor career. People who find what they are good at, do exceptionally well in those areas. he maybe taking these courses, but for other reasons than just becoming a doctor. he might be really good with helping parents and others who struggle with the same/or similar things that he does.

the best thing that anyone can do for this individual right now would be to support him, and question what he likes and dislikes and who the person he is, is. instead of questioning whats wrong with him. and maybe in knowing those things, answers may start being noticed on what really is the issues at hand.
One thing that is extremely a "red flag" for me, is the part where you say he forgets to eat. that's not very common among people who don't have autism. and its hard for others to understand(in my expeirence). because normally the convo has went:
"why didn't you eat?"
"i forgot"
"how do you forget to eat?"
"i dont know... i just do."
"that doesn't make sense. you feel hungry, so you shouldn't ever forget to eat"
"...i dont know why, but i really do forget to eat."
"well that just dont make sense."
and the only explaination i have found for this is caused with having autism, nothing else explained it. nothing else even acknowledged it. other things came close, but it wasn't it. i get so focused in something sometimes (usually whats interesting to me, and i like), that i loose track of time, and also don't remember that i should eat, and i dont feel hungry until after i'm done, and have gone back to not being undivided attention to something, which then hunger usually sets in, and i'm sick from it.

do you know if he thinks in pictures, or in words? those on the autism spectrum have a lot of thinking in pictures kind of brain work. words come secondary usually. but also, as they say "if you've met one person with autism, you have met one person with autism". aka, signs, symptoms, and traits range from person to person.

That's a very valid point. I too often forget to eat if my mum isn't here to remind me. She usually tells me when dinner starts cooking, then she'll tell me when it's almost ready, and then again when it's time to go down and eat. Even with all three of those warnings, she still sometimes has to come and knock on my door fifteen minutes later to tell me it's on the table going cold.

When she's not here, it's not uncommon that I'll end up forgetting to eat all day and then guzzle down a few slices of toast before I go to bed because that's when I've realised I'm hungry and suddenly remember I haven't eaten since breakfast.

If I'm not doing something else which has my attention, then it's usually ok. But if I am lost in thought or focusing on something I enjoy then it's very easy to not even notice that I'm feeling hungry.