Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi
I am a recently diagnosed 66 year old man who is struggling with coming to terms with the revelation that my whole life has been controlled by a condition I had never learned anything about.
Now that I am working to integrate this new concept I am finding a lot of resistance from my wife and family who are unsettled by how relationships might change.
I hope that this community might provide some answers to so many questions, fears and trepidation.
Ron
I think that an autism diagnosis is very unlikely to change your essential self, and so is also unlikely to greatly impact any relationships you have. People you like, you will still like and people who like you, will still like you.
What a diagnosis mostly gives is a greater level of self-awareness. In turn, this may help you to forgive yourself for past failings and also forgive others for failing, or hurting you. Also, getting to know how your personal autism affects you may allow you to create more efficient 'work arounds', so that you will be able to function better in society - a society that is often hostile to autistic people.