The Autism Spectrum Quotient...

No, I'm not male... although, before signing up,  I did wonder about the potential exposure to that kind of thing, hence won't be inputting any detailed personal information. The main reason I posted is simply, that I want to find a way to converse with women in that particular age bracket, pre, or post diagnosis.Since I’m in it and currently researching the aforementioned in order to glean more insight into late diagnosis, as it’s been a long time coming for women in general. Thanks, I am aware of FB groups, but do not use social media run by Meta, hence decided to check on here, if any women are interested in discussing their experiences.

No, I'm not male... although, before signing up,  I did wonder about the potential exposure to that kind of thing, hence won't be inputting any detailed personal information. The main reason I posted is simply, that I want to find a way to converse with women in that particular age bracket, pre, or post diagnosis.Since I’m in it and currently researching the aforementioned in order to glean more insight into late diagnosis, as it’s been a long time coming for women in general. Thanks, I am aware of FB groups, but do not use social media run by Meta, hence decided to check on here, if any women are interested in discussing their experiences.

NAS86347 said:

Since I’m in it and currently researching the aforementioned in order to glean more insight into late diagnosis,

Hi, this is what I read, and sorry, it wasn't clear. Research is a science and qualified researchers have the complex knowledge and skills in order to conduct valid research. If someone says they're "researching" a topic or issue, it indicates a formal study following the principles/protocols of research. Perhaps if you said you wanted to "learn more" or "gain knowledge or understanding" about a topic or issue, then it would have been clearer.

My point is just for clarification, definitely not to offend you. I'm hoping you'll find the Forum helpful. Wanting to gain knowledge or understand more is great. I hope you get the information you need to do that

OK that's good to know. Not that it's wrong to be looking for a romantic partner as such, although this forum is not really for that, and does prefer us to not provide any info that could identify us in real life anyway, so you're on board there. There are plenty of us late diagnosed women here! I didn't mention FB, I used the word group meaning category, as in late or pre-diagnosed middle aged women, sorry for any confusion.

So where are you in the process of diagnosis? I had a pre-assessment this week and have an appointment for formal diagnosis next month. I identified myself as autistic in 2020 so have had a while to do loads of research and get used to the idea. It was good to have that confirmed in the pre-diagnosis.

You're so right, it has been too long coming, it would be useful to have known sooner, as long as that knowledge went along with greater understanding too. In many ways I don't feel a diagnosis on its own would have helped me in school, as it would probably have just been a label for bullies to use. But accommodations would have helped! And I might have avoided burnout at uni. But at least we know now.