I haven't been part of this online community for long, and I'm only part-way through the autism diagnosis process at the moment.
What I am finding incredible is how comfortable I feel here, especially as I struggle so much to connect with people in other spheres of life.
As a child I felt like an outsider in my birth family, so much so that I became convinced I was adopted. Eventually I had to acknowledge this was unlikely (my unusual nose is identical to my dad's!).
Being part of this community is like being on one of those TV programmes where people are reunited with long lost siblings. They may have been apart for many years but once they are together they share so much common ground.
My birth family will always be my birth family, but it is wonderful to have found all these new autistic brothers and sisters.
It's quite overwhelming, but in a good way.
Did you feel the same when you joined this online community?