How should I handle a situation where I think my soldier is autistic?

Step 1: Relax. Truth be told, damn near everybody falls somewhere on the spectrum.
Step 2: Nothing wrong with your concerns, just don't try arm-chair diagnosis; you're not qualified, and it won't help him/her or you. No telling what the underlying problem might be.
Step 3: If his/her behavior interferes with the mission or is dangerous, do not ignore that! Talk to your chain-of-command, go to behavioral health (or see if they're willing to go with you). If they are just odd but technically and tactically proficient, continue to work with him/her soldier to soldier; even more so if you're their team leader.
Step 4: Good luck. Okay, that's not really a "step", but there you go anyway.

Thanks for taking a look at this. Autism isn't an onset condition, it typically develops and comes out in a child shortly after birth. If a soldier is on the spectrum hopefully they are going to know it already because they have a diagnosis and have received help in throughout their school years. It would be very rare in this day and age for a family not to have recognized behaviors since early childhood and gotten assistance. Their condition is probably not something they are going to come out with openly because they have been working hard at overcoming their condition and modeling their behaviors.

Stimming - an almost involuntary urge to move - shrugging, head nodding, walking around, lack of direct eye contact & turning away while listening, lack of filtering in communications - say it as they see it with no regard to feelings, a tendency to be a loner with not much social interaction and by the book behavior - black or white obedience/adherence with no shades of gray are some signs that you may be seeing. If they have made it into the military then they are definitely high functioning meaning they are fully capable of adapting - with encouragement and sometimes repetition - and keeping up with their "typical" peers.

I have just given you the description of my 17 year old son who was diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder at 3 years old. He's a junior in high school, an honor role college prep student, writes for the school newspaper, acts in the drama club and is college bound. Yes he has the "quirks" described but if you saw him in the hall or out in public you'd never think twice about him. That's after 14 years of getting him the assistance and scholastic intervention needed for him to be successful.

That is probably the background (I would hope) of the individual you are describing. As other esteemed colleagues have said, try to understand what autism is in that soldier's case - if you had 1000 people with autism, you'd have 1000 different variations of symptoms. Seek help from health professionals to that end. The last thing a higher functioning individual wants is to be treated differently where its noticeable. My son is almost defiant to his specific education provisions - getting extra time on tests, redoing work if the grade is less than 75 and having a teacher's aid available to him. He doesn't want to be treated any different than his friends Treat him just as you would every other soldier but provide them the additional help they may need with a mentor soldier.

My best to you and your soldier.

1. Don't panic, and certainly don't make any knee-jerk decisions.
2. Learn about autism.
3. Get him/her some professional assistance, as needed.
4. Don't let anyone else complicate or take advantage of the situation.
5. Embrace the leadership challenge.