Newly Diagnosed 33 year old adult - finding it hard to process. Any suggestions?

So for starters.  The last 33 years of your life, did you consider yourself normal?  Yes?  So what has changed?  A piece of paper says you have ASD?  Does it really have any real relevance to how you will live your life in the future?

Ok so those questions are real.  You have presumably lived a certain way for the last 33 years.  Having the paper that says you have ASD doesnt change that.  It answers questions you had. What you do with the information is up to you.  If you have a job that you enjoy and no issues I wouldnt tell an employer.  If you have issues then its in your best interests to use the paper to improve your situation.   

As for telling your wife and kids, yes, relationships are built on trust and I dont think they will have any issue with it.  You got a diagnosis that maybe explains some things, but daddy will still be daddy regardless of that piece of paper.  Your wife will still be your wife.  I wouldnt worry about it.

Your doctor at the service you used should have explained it will take time for things to sink in.  It does.  I am 4 months past diagnosis and I still havent fully come to terms with it.  Mostly it takes time for my brain to correlate past experiences to the ASD diagnosis.  i am achieving it bit by bit.  Has it changed the way I deal with my family?  Not at all.  I am still the same person they knew a year back. It just helps to explain some of the things that I do, like my routine that i follow daily and my obssessive door checking habit.  Dont allow it to rule your life.  Just use it as the diagnostic aid that it is.

So for starters.  The last 33 years of your life, did you consider yourself normal?  Yes?  So what has changed?  A piece of paper says you have ASD?  Does it really have any real relevance to how you will live your life in the future?

Ok so those questions are real.  You have presumably lived a certain way for the last 33 years.  Having the paper that says you have ASD doesnt change that.  It answers questions you had. What you do with the information is up to you.  If you have a job that you enjoy and no issues I wouldnt tell an employer.  If you have issues then its in your best interests to use the paper to improve your situation.   

As for telling your wife and kids, yes, relationships are built on trust and I dont think they will have any issue with it.  You got a diagnosis that maybe explains some things, but daddy will still be daddy regardless of that piece of paper.  Your wife will still be your wife.  I wouldnt worry about it.

Your doctor at the service you used should have explained it will take time for things to sink in.  It does.  I am 4 months past diagnosis and I still havent fully come to terms with it.  Mostly it takes time for my brain to correlate past experiences to the ASD diagnosis.  i am achieving it bit by bit.  Has it changed the way I deal with my family?  Not at all.  I am still the same person they knew a year back. It just helps to explain some of the things that I do, like my routine that i follow daily and my obssessive door checking habit.  Dont allow it to rule your life.  Just use it as the diagnostic aid that it is.