Hi - recent diagnosis at age 61 - just saying hello (waving)

After a 2 year wait I was recently diagnosed, and it is taking some time to adjust to it, such a mixturte of different feelngs, relief, regret, avoidance, disbelief, but mainly just relief. It wasn't just that I was weird all my life, there was a recogniseable, distinct, pervasive difficulty and there always has been. It wasn't that I didn't try hard enough, it wasn't that I was lazy, or just didn't want to mix with people or do a 'normal' job, but there are other more positive things too...the synaesthesia type experiences I have had, sensitivities to energies, my being drawn to workshops and groups where I could learn to make eye contact, to hug and enjoy physical contact, and many many more things I can now begin to place as to why I did this or why I was interested in that, or why I would have my own version of a meltdown. Thank you to the community for existing and hi to everyone. I look forward to learning and understanding more/

Parents
  • Welcome! A lot of people with ASD are perceptive in this way. I haven't looked at academic literature, but Rudy Simone (author of Aspergirls) claims that a lot of people with ASD report a 'sixth sense' when it comes to reading people. We don't pay attention to the usual social cues which perhaps allows us to perceive people in a different way. 

    Responding to a diagnosis can bring up a mixture of lots of different feelings. By joining a forum like this I hope you can gain more insight into what a diagnosis means for your identity, making sense of your past and planning your future.

Reply
  • Welcome! A lot of people with ASD are perceptive in this way. I haven't looked at academic literature, but Rudy Simone (author of Aspergirls) claims that a lot of people with ASD report a 'sixth sense' when it comes to reading people. We don't pay attention to the usual social cues which perhaps allows us to perceive people in a different way. 

    Responding to a diagnosis can bring up a mixture of lots of different feelings. By joining a forum like this I hope you can gain more insight into what a diagnosis means for your identity, making sense of your past and planning your future.

Children