Published on 12, July, 2020
First, hello everyone. I'm 28 and living in the US. I've been talking to a few autistic friends and noticing similarities in behavior - mind, I've been making these little notes for the better part of three years now - and I've taken about five self-evals now, all of which give me advice to talk to my doctor.
I'm kind of afraid of taking that step, and I'm hoping to get some... encouragement, I guess? I've been trying to talk myself out of a doctor's appointment for most of this year, so far, under the assumption that 'I can hold my own in social situations' - I know not all autistic people present the same behaviors or have the same hardships, and there are plenty of socially adept autistic people out here, but it's... okay, honestly, it's an abelist security blanket, and I am sorry for that. It's the one thought that seems to convince me that I don't need to bring it up with a medical professional. Like maybe the rest is me overreacting because one or two relatively small things don't fit.
Has anyone else who was diagnosed as an adult got any kind of input or advice for me? I feel lost and kind of alone in this - it's not something I want to bring up to my autistic friends, just on the off chance it comes out as somehow mocking or offensive. I don't want to be the hypochondriac friend.
I am a 46yr old male,diagnosed this year. I would say go for the assessment. Like someone said, it may be a different process in the states to here, but actually knowing kind of gave me permission to know and understand more about myself. I can think about how I live and can now say "that's a part of my autism". It started for me with doing various online tests, AQ50 and RAADS, which all indicated I was autistic, and I self referred to the local autism service. Four years later I got a diagnosis, and the changes are slowly happening. Good luck with your journey.