Recent Diagnosis

Hello!

I was recently diagnosed (as of just under a week ago, and I now have the written copy of my diagnosis) with Autism Spectrum Disorder/ASD, specifically meeting criteria for Asperger syndrome. I was very fortunate in receiving the diagnosis through my university, as the entire process took about four months, and I feel very relieved to have it, as it explains a lot about my behaviour and thought processes.

My mum has suspected I have ASD for several years now, but I didn't think it could apply to me as I didn't realise (until recently!) that women with ASD tend to go undiagnosed. I actually didn't start the process or even look into it myself until my counsellor mentioned that a lot of my anxiety triggers and responses were similar to those with ASD, and recommended pursuing a diagnosis. I'm glad that I did.

However, I've spent 26 years thinking I was allistic (I believe that's the word for non-autistic people?) and I am good at 'masking' my symptoms, which means a lot of people don't understand why I needed the diagnosis, and while I'm happy to have the diagnosis and feel quite comfortable with it, I feel a little bit lost as to where I belong within the community. So I thought this would be a good place to start. I have a few autistic friends (mostly male, although the few that were women helped me immensely during the diagnosis process), so I've interacted with other autistic people before, but it would be nice to feel part of a wider community, seeing as I feel like an outsider with the "normal" community.

It's nice to meet everyone!

Parents
  • Hi arlandeas, thanks for sharing your experience! I haven't been assessed for ASD before, but have been wondering if I had it for several years now. I think I fit in very well with the core ASD descriptions. I am currently a university student too, so I am thinking about getting assessed through my university as well, but sometimes I fear that I might end up making a fool out of myself if it turns out I was wrong. I'm very glad to hear that you have had such a good experience and am very happy for you. I hope my experience will be as positive as yours. By the way, which university are you studying at?

Reply
  • Hi arlandeas, thanks for sharing your experience! I haven't been assessed for ASD before, but have been wondering if I had it for several years now. I think I fit in very well with the core ASD descriptions. I am currently a university student too, so I am thinking about getting assessed through my university as well, but sometimes I fear that I might end up making a fool out of myself if it turns out I was wrong. I'm very glad to hear that you have had such a good experience and am very happy for you. I hope my experience will be as positive as yours. By the way, which university are you studying at?

Children
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