Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi everyone. I'm 44 years old and have never sought a diagnosis for ASD although it has been suggested to me at various point throughout my life (including by my older sister who has a son with Aspergers). I have what I describe as an "obsessive personality" - when I think of something I can't let it go until I do it or some other "shiny" thing comes along (and I definitely obsess). I don't really understand other people's emotions and have always known I was "different". I don't have friends but that's never bothered me, I'd rather be alone most of the time. It was only in recent years that I realised that I never make eye contact with people and instead watch their mouth when talking to them. I've been described as "honest to the point of tactlessness" and social situations make me very very uncomfortable.
I could keep going but that's not why I am posting. I've always just labelled myself as a "geek" and see it as a positive and I wanted to know, are there benefits to seeking a formal diagnosis at my age?
The negative side of it has always worried me - what if people look at me differently either at home or at work? It's always steered me away from finding out for sure.
Don't worry about people looking at you differently; just be careful who you tell. A formal diagnosis (at the age of 64) is helping me to predict problems and navigate life a bit more effectively, because I understand me better(!) It's also made me understand things that happened 20-30 years ago and realise that I could have done a few things differently. But it doesn't fundamentally change who you are - you're still you, no different the day after a diagnosis than you were the day before.