Recent self-diagnosed Asperger's. What do you think?

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I think you have done a lot of research into yourself and autism. Congratulations! I sent you a Provate Message (PM) about where you might go from here, if you choose to remain self-identified (not self-diagnosed), or to pursue a diagnosis when you are ready for one.

Thanks. I'm aware not everyone with ASD is odd or eccentric, though it's common for people with ASD to be perceived as odd or eccentric. What I explained or meant in my post was that it was not obvious to me that I had AS because all the descriptions online focused so much on relatively severe cases and did not say much about the variation that exists within ASD. I was always like, "Well, I understand body language and sarcasm, so that's obviously not me."

I'm aware of the comorbidities and have looked into this quite a bit before. I know what you mean though. From your list alone I have/am PTSD, introversion, giftedness, child abuse and neglect (not severe though). None of those things are mutually exclusive though, and many are commonly associated with ASD. Most people with AS have above average intelligence and are introverted, for instance, and I believe neglect is also relatively common since a lot of kids on the spectrum are either difficult to handle or seem to do well by themselves. I know that I would play totally alone for hours when I was little. My mother told me many times later in childhood that she could leave me alone for 3+ hours at a time even when I was 4 or 5 years old because of how content I was to play by myself.

Like I say, I think it's been difficult for me to finally realize I have AS because I was aware of a lot of different things in my life but never tied it all together. It wasn't until I read Attwood's "The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome" that everything clicked into place and it all made sense. There were many parts of the book where it was as if it was written specifically about me, and there were many "Ah-ha!" moments where I understood why X, Y, or Z had happened in the past (like in romantic relationships, things the workplace, etc).

I'm not saying I'm certain I have AS, but I've been searching pretty diligently for answers as to why I am the way I am for the past 10 years now, and nothing fits and explains things better or more wholly than AS (and giftedness and C-PTSD). Even if I a qualified professional were to decide I didn't have AS, understanding AS has already helped me immensely, helped me better understand myself, how others perceive me, and how I can better relate to the world and live a more productive and fulfilling life, so at this point I'm not really that hung up on a formal diagnosis. Several people who've gotten to know me well have commented they think I might be on the spectrum, and my cousin upon finding out told me he had never thought of it before but did think it made sense and explained a lot, so it's not just me.

Actually, there was widespread unacceptance of the DSM-V within the psychiatric community when it came out, and Tony Attwood himself says in his book that he strongly dislikes the DSM-V's criteria, feels it's very much wrong, and that he does not use it. Studies also show that around 30% of people already diagnosed with AS would not meet criteria of the DSM-V for ASD.

As for childhood, my traits were much more prominent when I was a kid than they are now because I've become so much more aware of them and have practiced how to seem NT so much. I look back on how I was when I was a kid and teen and laugh because it's so obvious to me now. I was oblivious to it at the time though.

I will go with this for this reason only:

I have been misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed. Depends on how you look at it. And that was before a lot of common knowledge available now was not available then.

But, having a proper diagnosis will keep you from doing what I have done. Band aid solutions. Treating only the surface and not the real issue. It caught up to me now and is doing real damage to my life. I am awaiting final diagnosis just so I can move forward properly.

I wish you luck. I understand your feelings as I am not much farther along than you are. And, in this thread a huge amount of information. All of it is good.

Really, best of luck.