I'm so new i'm shiny.

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Hi.

I'm a 36 year old divorced man, just over an hour ago i was diagnosed by a psychiatrist with Asperger's and comorbidity with Anxiety Disorder and Depression.

I'd known about and treated the depression in the past but everything else is new. Nobody had ever said anything about me having Asperger's prior to today.

I really don't know how to feel about this except for: "Hmmm, that makes a few things make more sense."

And a shiny new welcome to you

Wow, you are shiny! Welcome to the herd!

Greetings and welcome to the Wrong Planet.
Don't ever lose your shine.

my figuring out that I have Asperger's made sense of many things for me, too. welcome to WP.

I took a couple tests and got some interesting results, and after reading a few things around here I recognize the situations many of you have described.


Your Aspie score: 146 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 70 of 200
You are very likely an Aspie

Now i'm almost flabbergasted that nobody ever brought this up as a possibility for me.

Welcome to Wrong Planet Forum.

I also am new here, i also never knew about AS, i thought i was just different.

It is a great place to learn, ask questions, find answers, exchange information.

I always thought i was totally alone, but then i discover this entire Planet of us

So, I got the diagnosis, joined a community, began some research. What now?

Seems there's a bit of conflicting advice out there, where do I get the good stuff without being taken in to the ugly stuff?

Is there somewhere I should go? Do I need to get some kind of Medic-alert bracelet? Is there a pamphlet I should give to friends and family or bring with me on dates?

What about customized training or retraining to take advantage of my special skills? Or is there a template or specialist for gaining the tools to address my Aspie quirks?

On one hand, I find it comforting to know that I am not alone, there's a name for why I'm different, and knowing that name gives me some power over it.

Now that I know what it is, I feel like there should be more, so I implore those with more experience and understanding (all of you Aspie Wizards) to help me find my way. Anyone come up with a cool AS Flowchart? A day-by-day or step-by-step manual for getting through life with Asperger's?

How do I...?
go on a job interview,
bring this up with family?
avoid or minimize the damage of a meltdown or shutdown? (I get both)
recover from the damage of the above?

I'm resolved to working to my future and not dwell on how things might have been different if I or my parents knew what this was before, but to focus on what knowing now can do for me now and for the rest of my life.