I am new here. Looking for advice

Brilliant, I'm glad it was useful. Sometimes it's that little thing you need to give you confidence to bring it up with your doctor! 

Best of luck!

Good day to you. Thank you so much for the link to the free tests. Well my numbers did surprise me and now I am 100 percent sure that I need to see this to the end. I will be bringing my test results with me to my doctor. To discuss in detail.

I am very very greatful to you for that link. 

Jim

I think it's great that we are so multinational here, autism is not something that's limited by location! 

I felt more prepared to talk about getting diagnosed by writing my experiences down first. It helped get my head in order and see where I was at -sometimes all the thoughts whirl around and I find it handy to put them down somewhere.

There is also a handy website a lot of people used, called embrace autism, they have the tests with scoring, so you can see if you fall in the range and it can give you confidence to take it forward to a health professional. I remember doing the AQ50, and was surprised that I was in the range. Aside from that, I watched videos, podcasts, read articles on it. The more I found out the more I read convinced it was me too. Eventually then, I got the courage to get tested. I found having that bit of paper with my experiences on it helped at I can forget what I want to say otherwise, and if you have your test scores, it can help convince them to get you tested. 

Wishing you good luck with your journey of discovery!

So far I feel a joy and freedom i have never felt befor. Its mind-blowing. 

Hi Cinnabar_wing,

 It sure had been amazing how much I did not know. But the validation that I am not alone in how I write, think, talk, act or dont act. All these and more are not something I alone do, see or feel. The relief and release I am feeling is the most amazing thing ever.. I now know and Feel I dont have to hide when out and about. Infact I never relized how much i watched myself and others around me and masked myself in to blend in. I never relized the energy I was waisting. I literally thought it was normal.

 Btw thank you for pointing out where I reside is not mentioned by me.. So let me correct that.. I reside in the state of Wisconsin in the USA.

 I did notice that this organization is based in the UK. I also noticed how inviting this place is to all from all walks of life. This is also the best resource I have been able to find, understand and relate to.  However I am open to similar resources nearer to me..

 Thank you for the warm welcome.

      JIM

That’s the part that I found mind blowing and then reassuring, there is actually other people like me, I always thought it was just me who had struggled through life being different but not knowing why. 
To have found my own tribe still brings me a lot of happiness and finally a sense of belonging.

https://open.spotify.com/show/6iEevQkNUGYEwFL608g7OK?si=qED3-rwUQt6wsO--vAsRFQ

That’s great newsOutdoorsman76 keep us posted on how the appointment goes.

Ive added a link for you it’s a great book that I’m reading right now.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1Yo74IRtzO7TjNQhfTA2Dz?si=QF0PM6hYScuRyxqzh-UbIg

https://open.spotify.com/episode/24fKcHQl71zG50ouQsmerM?si=rGYDNtUmQduGU1RzEkJUuA

Ive added a couple of links to podcasts I listen to and these are episodes I found particularly helpful.

Have a great day

Hi Nicola, 

 Thank you for the information links you provided to me. I will be looking into them.

 I really do love this organization. Its the best resource I have found so far. 

Hello Lonehare, 

 Thank you for the encouragement, I am actually releaved to find this wonderful organization. I am finding that I can very easily understand the information here.

 I made a big step today. I reached out to my doctors and I have my first appoint next Tuesday. Needless to say i have not seen them in a few years. But now I have things to ask and answers I need to know. 

 But what really blew my mind is reading what others here have to say. The very first ones where from men my age that got rediagnosed or diagnosed with ASD at my age. 

 Can you recomend some good pod casts? I must be honest i have never really listened to one before.

I sure will be sticking around that is for sure.

Hey welcome! Yeah at the start I went through a big research phase, trying to find out more and wanting to make sure I wasn't making it up, but the more I found out, the more my experiences were reflected back at me from what other people had said. It's amazingly validating to discover that you aren't alone with all the quirky traits, but other people are talking about those same things too.

Steps forward depend on where you are from. I think England has some sort of right to choose pathways through the GP, and someone with more knowledge can probably relate more to what they did. But there are folk from all over the UK and the wider world, so you can ask for what is relevant to you!

Good luck!

HiOutdoorsman76 and welcome.

Its sounds like you’re already researching and that’s what I did initially, I listened to podcasts and read books about autism and ADHD. To be honest though I’ve learned more on this site than anywhere else because there is such a wide range of experiences.

I hope you stick around and chat with us

Hi Outdoorsman, and welcome to the online community!  I am sure you will find a lot of supportive and friendly people here.

I am sorry to hear you are feeling a bit overwhelmed and stuck right now, but that is completely understandable.  If you would like to learn more about autism, NAS has a section all about the core characteristics of autism that you might find helpful to have a look at.

If you are thinking of pursuing a diagnosis, we also have information available on that here, including deciding whether or not to seek an assessment and how to request one.

I hope these are helpful to you!

To be honest the signs have alwasy been there. I just never thought to look deeper into it. It was my partner that really brought things to my attention. So i have actuly started the deep reserch last friday about it. Then after more digging i found this supoort group. Right now i feel stuck on my next step. It is kinda like a information over load. So I was jist asking for basic advice on others experiences. 

Hello, what is it you want to prepare for? What steps are you taking? You didn't say.

It is hard to suggest stuff to help without knowing what you are doing.

Is it a meeting with the GP, a formal assessment, therapy, etc.