Newly diagnosed.

Hi Elan 

It's indeed most unique hence wondering if there's anyone else in a similar position?

Well after many years of struggling without knowing why, it was a relief & explains a lot. Much was blamed on my deafness. While this creates it's own set of issues, I was aware that many of my deaf peers only had issues pertaining to deafness & did not experience the struggles I had. Facial expressions, eye contact, idioms were all normal to them. While I compensated & adapted much by copying over the years, much of what's percieved as normal was lost to me. However I managed to hide behind my deafness & get away with a lot!

While I knew there was a reason for my struggles, I didn't know why until my husband pointed out after many years of marriage that our asperger son & I are so much alike! He also found an article on bipolar when I was really ill & said that was me. Sadly a consultant at the time dismissed both suggestions of bipolar and asperger, which suffice to say the result of that consultation was not pretty & I was banned from the very department that was supposed to help people like me. Thankfully much has changed since & the department have been very supportive. They've been instrumental in my diagnoses, bipolar, auditory process disorder & ASD. I think that will suffice.

Thankfully my my husband found the John Denmark center in Manchester that deals with deaf people. I owe them a huge debt, plus my husband, family, gp, subsequent cpn & consultant who diagnosed me with bipolar. This was the start of my long journey to recovery & recent diagnosis of ASD.

Now I can understand, so can the children, family & close friends. I can at last celebrate my differences & accept myself for who I am, rather than feeling a constant failure for struggling to do what comes naturally for most. It exhausts me to constantly adapt, compensate, to fit in. Not everyone with ASD wants to fit in & adapt, but I did & think perhaps that's more true of some women with ASD?

I was at boarding school from 5 years of age for deaf children & at a grammar school from 11 having passed 11+.  So a unique set up & background I think, but likely made me who I am today & helped much in learning to compensate albeit with struggles.

Thanks for your reply & for asking.

kind regards

Hi Elan 

It's indeed most unique hence wondering if there's anyone else in a similar position?

Well after many years of struggling without knowing why, it was a relief & explains a lot. Much was blamed on my deafness. While this creates it's own set of issues, I was aware that many of my deaf peers only had issues pertaining to deafness & did not experience the struggles I had. Facial expressions, eye contact, idioms were all normal to them. While I compensated & adapted much by copying over the years, much of what's percieved as normal was lost to me. However I managed to hide behind my deafness & get away with a lot!

While I knew there was a reason for my struggles, I didn't know why until my husband pointed out after many years of marriage that our asperger son & I are so much alike! He also found an article on bipolar when I was really ill & said that was me. Sadly a consultant at the time dismissed both suggestions of bipolar and asperger, which suffice to say the result of that consultation was not pretty & I was banned from the very department that was supposed to help people like me. Thankfully much has changed since & the department have been very supportive. They've been instrumental in my diagnoses, bipolar, auditory process disorder & ASD. I think that will suffice.

Thankfully my my husband found the John Denmark center in Manchester that deals with deaf people. I owe them a huge debt, plus my husband, family, gp, subsequent cpn & consultant who diagnosed me with bipolar. This was the start of my long journey to recovery & recent diagnosis of ASD.

Now I can understand, so can the children, family & close friends. I can at last celebrate my differences & accept myself for who I am, rather than feeling a constant failure for struggling to do what comes naturally for most. It exhausts me to constantly adapt, compensate, to fit in. Not everyone with ASD wants to fit in & adapt, but I did & think perhaps that's more true of some women with ASD?

I was at boarding school from 5 years of age for deaf children & at a grammar school from 11 having passed 11+.  So a unique set up & background I think, but likely made me who I am today & helped much in learning to compensate albeit with struggles.

Thanks for your reply & for asking.

kind regards