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Hi, I'm Cathy and I'm 44. I got a diagnosis at 40 when a psychiatrist observed my interactions with my daughter and suspected Asperger. I researched and discovered I finally had answers to the questions I had always wondered my whole life. It would be great to hear from other older ones like me who has muddled through jobs and heartache--puzzled why we were treated differently.

Nice to meet you, Cathy.

Hello, and welcome!
I am 39, and very recently diagnosed. And also in Arizona.
I could go on and on and about jobs, heartache, and muddling...

G'day, Cathy. There is a motley crew of over-40s who post in the The Dino-Aspie Ex-Café.

Current page:
http://www.wrongplanet.net/postxf32122-0-9795.html

Hi Cathy,

I'm 38 and found out about myself and my 7 year old son a couple of years ago. I've also got a 4 year old who probably has it - we're going to do a huge series of tests next week.

How old is your daughter, do you have any other kids and are they aspies too?

I was only diagnosed 6 months ago and I'm 48, but for me before diagnosed it was like I had some dark shadow over my shoulder, close behind effecting my every move, and no clue why.

But now it all fits, and at last I have found the real me....

Welcome to WP!

Tim

Thanks to those who have written so far! I will check out the "cafe." Gavin, I only have the one daughter. However, her Asperger seems more like my mother's than mine. There is a strange multigenerational behavior that is suspected to be autistic that goes back to at least my great-great grandfather. If true, that would mean at least 5 generations in my family of Asperger's.
Since this is an Asperger forum, I'll mention what this odd behavior is (as I'm sure many have "odd" behaviors in their family). It has to do with fire engines. There could be a multi-generational gathering at my great-great grandfather's house and if a firetruck siren was heard, the whole family would drop whatever they were doing, pile into cars, and go to the fire and observe. My mother had a lot of cousins that lived not too far away from each other and when the cousins were adults they would sometimes run into each other at the same fire (that they independently went to). After my immediate family moved away, my mother would continue to "chase fires" when I was small, until one day, she inhaled a lot of smoke observing a fire and she quit. I never chased fires but in college, I got obsessed with becoming an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and I was "addicted" to going on emergency calls (particularly traffic accidents). Then I moved on to security in a hospital (where I got to run to fire calls and patient restraints. My favorite place to hangout in the hospital was always the ER). I think part of this "addiction" is chemical because after I was put on my first antidepressant (around the age of 30) I didn't seem to crave emergency situations anymore.

Wow, I've never heard a fire story like that.

You could be addicted to excitement/adrenalin?

The fire thing could also be a "trained-to-like" thing.

For example: Dr Who was my special interest as a child and both my boys are seriously addicted to it now.