New Member reaching out to say "I'm here."

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Hi all, I am a mid-30s woman and just got diagnosed in August, so am still processing a lot and reevaluating my life through this new lens. It sure explains a lot!

Anyway, I just wanted to say "hi" to all. What I'm hoping to get from this forum is a sort of online support group (since there isn't one around me) to commiserate with, to encourage others and to inspire me, and specific suggestions for ways to navigate my autistic world more intentionally, now that I know what it is that I have been struggling with my whole life.

Obviously I am high enough functioning to not have been diagnosed until adulthood, but autism has very clearly played a major role in my life, both for better and for worse. If I had been born a boy, I think the chances are high I would have been diagnosed as a child.

A little about me. I am a teacher; I taught German at a high school for a few years and now at a community college for the past four years, which I love. I also translate a little from German to English. German is one of my special interests, as well as neuroscience, physics, and Star Trek.

Okay, enough for now. Hi to all!

Hi Serina. Was obtaining a diagnosis difficult? I've been debating whether I should talk to my doctor about it or not. I have insurance, but I imagine it's still expensive and I don't have a lot of money.

Well, the current diagnosis is from my therapist who is not a specialist in autism, though she is familiar with it, and a really huge amount of personal research that overwhelmingly confirms what she suspected. I am trying to get a more "official" diagnosis, but the problem is that there do not seem to be any specialists in my entire state (that I can find, and I've done a lot of research) who are willing to see an adult. Even the waiting list for children seems to be 12 to 18 months. I may have to travel for a diagnosis, but my insurance won't cover anything out of state and I don't have enough money right now to cover it. I'm still looking into options, so sorry I can't be more helpful to you just yet.

Welcome, Ms. SerinaSings. Your interests demonstrate clearly that you are a person of quality.

Don't let the label help determine who you are, nor allow you to excuse your self for your past actions, but instead use it to understand your self and others.

Welcome to WP! Glad that you finally figured out who you are.

Last edited by TheAP on 11 Oct 2016, 7:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Welcome to Wrong Planet!

Welcome to Wp all
How do you feel since you found out you are likely on the spectrum? relief?

In my experience, the whole country seems to be in denial that adults can even be autistic. The young are lucky enough to get help, sometimes, but once someone with autism turns 18, they may as well just vanish into thin air.

Anyway, welcome to the site. I'm new here too.

Mostly relief, because it explains so much. A little frustration that it was not figured out earlier, and I had to slug through for so long in the dark, but am also glad that I was not labeled as a child which could have limited others' expectations of me. Also hope, that now that I understand how the game works, I can play it better.

Darmok, at Tanagra? That is one of my all time favorite episodes!



Yeah, I've been getting that impression. It is a shame that there are so many of us adults, including my parent's generation (one of mine being very clearly autistic, which we can see now), that can contribute in so many rich and meaningful ways but are held back in menial work or unemployment because of certain narrow expectations of the workplace, though not the work itself, that are difficult for us to deal with. Society is missing out on an incredible opportunity.

Yes, I have no interest in blame or excuses, only explanations and, as you said, understanding.

I didn't get diagnosed until a couple years ago but I am glad I did. It is a lot easier living with my differences now that I know what they are exactly.

Hey Serina welcome.

I knew you had good taste.