Hello, I've just been diagnosed with Aspergers. What's next

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I've very recently been diagnosed with Aspergers and am looking for advice, suggestions and even just general interactions with someone who knows what it's like.

It has been a very isolating experience these past thirty years but maybe now that I know what's wrong I can work on learning to live and experience something good for a change.

Thanks
~James

hi, james,

i figured out that i have AS when my nephew was diagnosed and i read about his symptoms only to find myself described. i was 55. i leaned to small talk at 50. there's a good book on that: "the fine art of small talk" by debra fine. it gives lists and lists of questions to ask.

mostly the AS diagnosis just made sense out of things that have happened to me - losing friends, losing a medical career. i had already come to terms with the fact that i'll never be popular and that the folks that take the time to get to know me are the ones worth having as friends anyway. i stopped staring at people (mostly) at 51, when someone stared back until i was uncomfortable. it finally sank in.

i married for the first time at age 52. it's going great. i had dated 100 people and finally, someone cared about me that i cared about, too. i asked him out twice before he said' "yes." never give up. i was engaged in the '80's to aguy that didn't treat me well. love isn't enough. i should have ditched him a lot sooner than the three years i took.

Welcome!

Hey! Not long diagnosed myself - 44 here. It's not all about feeling like you should like stuff you don't (vampires, maths, computers etc) it's about who you are. Don't doubt your diagnosis because you don't fall into whatever stereotype you happen to have of Aspies.
Best piece of advice I can give you is don't throw the baby out with the bathwater (I know you probably understand that metaphor even although you may have read ASD people don't get that stuff). Keep the good stuff about you and lose the bad stuff.
That's just it - if you are ASD you will be having a hard time of it in some form or another but knowing you have ASD won't change that - it will just make you beat up on yourself less.
Practical stuff? Make sure you get enough time alone and trust yourself to know what's best for you. That's basically it.
Good luck!

Welkome to WP

Mick