Hey there.

Hey there people. New here, im a guy in his thirties and similiar to some of you- ive recently been diagnosed with having AS on a high-scale at a later age (wasnt recognised when i was growing up, just put down to being shy and quiet as i was capable of speech, could read and write to a good standard in Maths and English and had an understanding of things)- just waiting on letter to my doc and through the post to give details of it officially.

Only people that know is my wife, and her family and some of my family- its not something ive felt comfortable about telling work colleagues or friends or acquantinces (<<<sp??) yet as i guess im not sure how to go about doing it, what it even is and what it means for me and i also i dont feel like they need to know.

In respect to the "not sure how to go about doing it"- its more to do with understanding it myself and explaining it clearly, short and to the point and not bogging the other person down in the detail and trying not make myself look like a fool as there is a lot of ignorance surrounding the subject in modern media and even the net.

(Once i had an experience recently whereby Aspergers came about in a conversation and jeezo, it was shot down, people of average intelliegence and of sound mature age (40s) turned around and said it was a joke, it didnt exist in their days (-of course it has always been around, except now it has a name, and is easier and better recognised!! )and they think that its just some way for people to get out of working (on sickness/ disability)- believing it was a disease ie can be be "fixed" or "temporary" or even questioning: how do you get it? (I swear this came up, like they thot it was like getting the sickness bug or the common cold...!!))- this reaction really made me not want to share that i was suspected of having it (at the time. before i was diagnosed), as i know a lot of people have this view, having little to no understanding of it.

So, after finding this community in my local library search, i opted to join and share with like minded people, expand my own knowledge from others experiences, good and bad and share my own and accept myself more. Learning my own ticks and when my threshold is being pushed and either trying to recede the information imput or taking myself away from the circumstance.

The diagnosis was a little upsetting, as i always wanted to be decent with little to no faults (im hardly ever ill and im as fit and strong, i eat and drink healthily, i can read and write and i have a full time job (means to an end) and im married). Now i discover that there is a reason why i really struggle with people socially, avoid socialising and why i react or do things different to others (<<the NeuroTypical types: average joes)- so its a fault in a sense but not one i can help (just be more aware of), have always had, i can now manage to a degree (hopefully).

My wife was the one who pushed for me to get diagnosed as i was seeing doctors (psychologists and anger management nurses etc) for years (never took any medication- didnt want it, wanted to deal with my issues myself, not rely on some drug) and nothing was improving. A lot of the advice i was being given either didnt work for me and in some cases just backfired and made things more difficult and made me more angry.

My wife always noticed there was something different about me and was surprised doctors hadnt noticed this about me too, even when i first met her, she thot i was a different, nice but unusual (lack of eye contact, saying inappropriate things to her about her appearance or not getting social cues- go figure she was one of the few people who didnt get offended by me, just found it interesting)- guess docs dont want to just give out these suspicions in-case it offends the patient... or cant be bothered with the hassle...

Often id tell her situations involving other people and she would explain why the person reacted the way they did (often negative either subtley or sometimes more forceful), and being naive i was taken aback as often my intention was purely innocent but to other person i came across flirty, or aggressive or defensive or not-interested etc.

So finally we have an answer as to why things are the way they are for me, and finding out what my triggers are.

So im going to browse about, comment here and there, make topics and see how things go. Sharing and getting to know some of how things can and have gone for people with AS of all ages.

See you around.