I just had my diagnosis call with Psychiatry UK who said I have autistic traits but not ASD. While I've been reading about autism over the last couple of years, I felt like I'd finally understood why I find life hard and find humans so confusing, and was really hopeful that finding I had ASD might give me the key to managing to sustain a relationship - but now that I don't have that diagnosis I feel absolutely lost, like there's no chance for me with relationships and I must just be bad at them.
I don't understand it because I seem to have every symptom / characteristic they consider, but I guess not "enough". I feel like I failed the assessment. Like I'd finally found my people, but I haven't made the grade and now I can't join. I almost wish I'd stuck with self-identification.
My sister was recently diagnosed with ASD and is now getting lots of support from friends and family, and people are taking her needs seriously, and I feel like now I can't voice my needs in the way that she is because I didn't get a diagnosis.
If you only have autistic traits but not ASD, can you still get support from an autistic community?
