Published on 12, July, 2020
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
Welcome to the forum.
NAS90621 said:Am I a freak?
What does that even mean in this context? I think you've just put that so we can huddle around you and give you a confidence boost, in which case - no you're not a freak. But it's a bizarre consideration either way.
HFA is contested as a term in the community. But it just means you can function in day-to-day life, whereas others on the spectrum need 24/7 support.
What your diagnosis means is you're autistic. So, watch some YouTube videos, do some reading, and use the diagnosis to understand who you are and what's best for you in your life.
whereas others on the spectrum need 24/7 support.
Other autistics who need this kind of support usually have co-occurring needs such as epilepsy, apraxia, learning disability, chronic illness, physical disability etc. It’s not usually because they are autistic that they need this level of support it is often because of a co-occurring need as explained above.
It’s not often that members of our autistic community are just autistic, it’s so common in our community to be multiply neurodivergent or have co-occurring needs.