• Replies 3 replies
  • Subscribers 73 subscribers
  • Views 1188 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

New to this.....am I a freak?

NAS90621

Hi all, I'm newly diagnosed as hiighly functioning autistic.......still not sure of the meaning of this! Am I a freak? I don't really know how to feel about this diagnosis and what that means for the long term!. Any advice fro.a done who is like me? I would really be grateful! Thanks In advance.....any help/ support would be appreciated 

  • NAS90621 said:
    Am I a freak

    Absolutely not. I get why you ask the question. When I was was a teenager, 46 now, only recently diagnosed, a recurring thought I had was 'I just want to be normal'. I was going through an alternative phase and looked and felt differently to others. My diagnosis has allowed me to reframe that.

    I have learned to revel in my difference to others. Different is good. Read stuff about neurodiversity and how being autistic is a normal part of human development. That's a good thought process to go down.

  • Hi mate. Welcome here.

    No you're not a freak, you're just different, you see the world differently and act differently but that's not a bad thing and it certainly doesn't mean you're a freak.

    The diagnosis affects everybody differently. For some it can be a confusing time but for others it's a comfort and peace of mind. Being autistic isn't easy, especially when you struggle with other things like anxiety and health difficulties, but you can find ways to cope.

    Stick around here. It's an honest good community.

  • NAS90621 said:
    I'm newly diagnosed as hiighly functioning autistic

    Whoever diagnosed you has not used the correct terminology, as functioning labels are not and never were an official diagnostic term. They clearly were not following the latest NHS guidelines, which make it clear that functioning labels should not be used.

    You may function well in one environment but be completely unable to function in another. It is a widely misunderstood term which actually prevents autistic people deemed 'high functioning' from receiving the support they need.

    NAS90621 said:
    Am I a freak?

    That does seem a somewhat odd question to ask on an autism form unless you are deliberately trying to provoke. Are we all freaks? I suppose that depends who you ask. I am curious as to why you would think that.

    For the avoidance of doubt the answer is no. Your brain works differently to the neurotypical majority. Different not less.