I don't think about my Asperger's anymore

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Ok, not literally, but what I mean is I don't dwell on it. My opinion is that it's just a label, and while it can be helpful to use labels to better understand things, in the end that's still all it is. I think if I identify with it too much that I become complacent with where I am, and what I think I'm able and unable to do.

What I mean is, who am I to say what my abilities are? How could I, an imperfect human being, possibly know that?

I used to get myself worked up wondering if I REALLY have Asperger's or if some other word would describe me better, but now I just think it doesn't matter.

For me it is so much more than a label. AS to me refers to many neurobiological features which I inherited and which form unique constellations within the greater complexity of the "who I am" self, not as some cookie cutter version that represents us as all the same.

There's a constant daily interplay between AS features that I have and other features I have either acquired or inherited. The fact that I am a New Zealander, that I speak English, am a parent, grandparent, woman, have green eyes and like to read great novelists are all personal features in which AS is not a factor; the fact that I have coeliac disease, memory gifts, intensely noise-sensitive hearing, can't stand participating in small talk and hate talking on the telephone do seem to be factors, and they have daily impact on my life and are part of daily consciousness.

AS may be an extrinsic factor for you; for me it's uniquely interwoven into my way of being myself and how I experience daily life. I couldn't not think about it nor would I want to, so our two situations vis a vis AS are really very different. That doesn't make your perception wrong, only different from mine. I haven't had any trouble discerning what my abilities are, a whole lifetime of exploration and feedback have impacted on that consciousness, eg I presume that I did well in music exams because I had musical ability - whether acquired, innate or an interplay of the two (probably the latter).

There are very different mindsets at play in the AS spectrum, obviously, about the experience of being on the spectrum, though for me it is a fascinating and ever-unfolding journey, and however much I read and learn there is always something new that comes along, to learn more about and reflect upon. We are all different though.