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Aspie Downunder (new member intro)

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ratey
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31 Oct 2023, 10:45 pm

Hi everyone, I just turned 60 and around that time my wife's therapist said to her "he's definitely autistic" (explaining why I was difficult to live with :roll: )... but I have had my suspicions for a while. I was a lonely kid who read books in the corner at kindergarten while the other kids raced around outside. Plus I work in academia which is anecdotally full of people on the spectrum :mrgreen:
I don't have a formal diagnosis yet - the waiting time for a decent psych is pretty long. Any other Aussie aspies out there? I'm in Perth, the most isolated state capital on Earth (oddly appropriate).


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autisticelders
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01 Nov 2023, 4:46 am

welcome, there is a lot to sort when we finally discover we are autistic. I compare it to reading my own biography with the lights on (finally making sense of it all) . Glad you are with us!


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jamie0.0
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01 Nov 2023, 7:34 am

welcome!
i can relate to your experiences in kindergarten, books are a fun way to pass the time when expected to mingle with peers.
it's nice to have some more Aussie representation here. i'm also in OZ but in Melbourne which i imagine is a fair bit different from Perth. i would love to visit Perth someday.



ratey
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01 Nov 2023, 8:33 am

jamie0.0 wrote:
it's nice to have some more Aussie representation here

Thanks @jamie0.0, us Aussies are probably on here but there's so many members we're hard to find.

Thanks too for identifying with my kindy story, you may be the first ever to do that :)


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ratey
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01 Nov 2023, 8:36 am

autisticelders wrote:
welcome, there is a lot to sort when we finally discover we are autistic


Yeah, I'm gradually finding that out :roll: . Thanks for the warm welcome :) – I'm looking forward to connecting


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TwilightPrincess
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01 Nov 2023, 8:48 am

Welcome to WP!


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DirkGently69
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01 Nov 2023, 2:20 pm

G’day Ratey. Welcome from another Aussie. There are quite a few of us on here. I myself am from Bundaberg, Queensland. I’m sure you will find community and understanding here on WP, so please enjoy yourself.



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02 Nov 2023, 1:12 pm

Welcome to WP! I hope you like the company here, Aussie and other.

And even though I'm Autism Spectrum Disorder, Level 1 (Mild) I would not say I was difficult to live with. My bride might, though. :roll: (She's very ADHD, by the way. Life is sometimes "interesting" here.)


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jimmy m
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04 Nov 2023, 10:13 am

Welcome to Wrong Planet.


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BillyTree
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04 Nov 2023, 11:15 am

Welcome to Wrong Planet! I think it was unprofessional of your wife's therapist to "diagnose" you in that manner in front of your wife and without your consent. Instead the therapist could have explained your behaviour as personality traits without attaching that label.


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softlyspeaks41
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05 Nov 2023, 12:51 am

Hello and welcome! I'm not Aussie but definitely Aspie :)



AnonymousAnonymous
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05 Nov 2023, 6:12 pm

Welcome to Wrong Planet! :)


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ratey
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10 Nov 2023, 8:01 pm

BillyTree wrote:
Welcome to Wrong Planet! I think it was unprofessional of your wife's therapist to "diagnose" you in that manner in front of your wife and without your consent. Instead the therapist could have explained your behaviour as personality traits without attaching that label.

Yeah, I've definitely agonized over that... But it may turn out to be helpful. I have a psych lined up for a formal diagnosis but there's a long waiting list, it seems ASD assessments are in high demand in my city at least.

Now that a professional person has said "you're probably autistic" it's like I'm analysing everything I do through that lens, and sure enough I'm noticing lots of behaviour and thoughts which seem autistic to me.

So, a double edged sword, I guess.


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ChicagoLiz
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16 Nov 2023, 4:16 pm

Welcome!

I agree that the therapist meant well but should have not mentioned a diagnosis in front of anyone else, even your own spouse. Still, it's good that you now have a clear sense of how to move forward to understand yourself better.


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ratey
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21 Nov 2023, 5:30 pm

ChicagoLiz wrote:
it's good that you now have a clear sense of how to move forward to understand yourself better.


Thanks, times are still pretty turbulent but I'm hoping that life will calm down in the not too distant future :)


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