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Hello. My name is Jerry and I was recently diagnosed with Asperger's. Though I've been suspicious of being Autistic since I was 17 and my teacher first explained what it was to me, I wasn't able to get fully diagnosed until last month. In a way, I'm glad I finally understand why I'm different from everyone else but at the same time it's hard being diagnosed as an adult, knowing it could have helped me a lot growing up as well as with my job difficulties (one of the main reasons I wanted to find out if I was or not). Still, I'm glad to finally understand myself.

But irregardless, hello everyone. Nice to potentially meet you all.

This may sound weird to you but ... Congratulations on your diagnosis

And nice to meet you too Jerry, and welcome to WrongPlanet! Feel free to join the General discussion (if you haven't already)

Thank you! Nothing weird about that honestly. I may feel bad that I couldn't have gotten the diagnosis earlier or that I'll have some obstacles to overcome but I feel proud to be an Aspie. I've been self-diagnosed since about two years ago but finally pushed to get that official diagnosis.

Funnily enough, I was the only one who took my diagnosis well...well, except for my best friend. My family was like "OMG!" and my bosses were kinda paranoid for a while. But it's given me an incredible wealth of knowledge and a knack for technology so I'm glad.

Thanks again Shadi2 and it's nice to meet you! I hope to see you around on the forums.

You told your bosses about your diagnosis? That's amazing!

I don't have that sort of courage.

Not really courageous when I had a piece of paper to give them (and that I was advised by my doctor to do so considering my job was to make small talk with customers for 8 hours in a crowded area). Thank you though. Nice to meet you kraftiekortie!

Welcome to Wrong Planet!

You're welcome!

I know what you mean, in general I don't even tell people because every time I do they either argue with me about it (as if it was something to be ashamed of) and try to shrug it off (even family, like an aunt I told a while ago) or they start acting strangely around me, at least for a while, and I have to wait for their reaction to tone down and get back to normal whew lol. When they don't know they just think I'm a little weird or quirky and that's fine with me, it just bothers me sometimes when they interpret something I do or say totally the wrong way, but oh well.

And nice to meet you too

Thank you double anonymous! Nice to meet you! Love your sig by the way. It's awesome.



I know exactly what you're talking about. My dad started arguing over 'symptoms' and whether or not the doctor was right with his diagnosis, my mom started fretting and naming off people in our family with vaguely similar symptoms and how she "should have known something was wrong, the signs were all there" (till I told her there's nothing wrong with being an Aspie and to knock it off) and my bosses noticeably tensed up when I would get near them for a while (till they realized that I was the same ol' guy they knew from before). I even had a coworker (who I didn't tell and was surprised to hear they knew) tell me that they were "afraid of me" and "afraid of what I might do" (crazy, right?). The only one who took it well was my best friend, who told me (when I was feeling down) "Don't feel bad. You're still you. And I'm still your friend no matter what". It really meant a lot and though she didn't really understand, she wanted to learn rather than treat me like a science fair exhibit. And she didn't freak out or treat me weird afterwards, she still came up to me and we bs-ed the same ol' way we normally do. It was a nice change and I really appreciate her for that. I swear, some people think Aspies are gonna bang their fists against the floor and grunt like a gorilla at the drop of a hat.

And I agree, I'd rather them think I'm weird or different than to tell them "hey, I'm an Aspie" and have them avoid me or treat me differently (even though, like you, I get jarred whenever I say something awkward). Even if they're "overly nice" about it or try to help excessively. I'd rather them just treat me like anyone else unless I ask for help.