Acceptance and how to accept a diagnosis

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About a year ago I was diagnosed with ASD, having high functioning/mild autism.
The DSM-5 has removed aspergers from their diagnosises but it was thought that I had that until it's been changed to just ASD.
It's been difficult to accept this diagnosis and I would like to understand it more.
I wondered how others coped when they were diagnosed and how I can understand it more.

Thank you.

For me, there wasn't really anything to accept aside from the fact I can clearly state I do not have delusions, schizophrenia, etc as I figured it out on my own years ago. Being diagnosed with ASD was the equivalent of someone who spent their life in a wheelchair being diagnosed with Paraplegia: not really anything I didn't already know. The person who diagnosed me recommended some books and TED talks but I don't have the report in front of me.

Even going to when I first started suspecting Aspergers, I knew for a long something was clearly off about me (the bullies made sure to remind me regularly in school) and it provided the answers: it was almost too easy because under the surface I fit the textbook definition to a T.

Bullies have said many things to me-----very few of these things were true.

I guess I am in the group who's been "fortunate" enough to have known he has autism since I was very young. I've never had to "accept" my diagnosis, per se. But I have had to accept the fact that I am "different," and will always be "different." And that's the way life is, really. Accepting that you're an individual, and that you will not be able to be all things for all people.

I've been diagnosed over 20 years and I am still finding it difficult to accept it.

I'll try to combine the op response and kraftiekortie. I took tests as early as 1st grade but back then they didn't have Asperger's as a valid dx. I shift between high (or not) functioning autism & Asperger's (there are nuances between the 2 but bc Asperger's vanished into thin air for the sake of the new DSM, it is often termed HFA/I think ICD still categorizes ASP). I took many tests and bc my parents when they were together wanted the pipe dream life although we were poor, my violent dad tried to beat the stupid out of me or anything else not normal. I had the ability to be in high school in 3rd grade but my grades were straight F's; this is due to getting stuck on stuff I didn't know and nobody helping me with homework and especially getting stuck which I still have a problem with. My dad would make fun of me and insult me as well. "Well if you're so smart".... "There's something wrong with him".. And much more. I was stupid, clumsy, naive, genius, oblivious, had not a single friend, and would spend years of my life alone in a room after getting beaten. A lot to deal with on the spectrum. I had to raise myself and make a ZILLION mistakes.

Just to give a background somewhat. I see people as all the same. The crackhead on the street, kraftiekortie, the McDonald's drive thru guy, my 2 doctor friends, they are all the same, everyone has worth and are valuable as human beings. When I finally got diagnosed, it was obvious within the first few minutes to my doctor who has ASD. He knew it from study and living with it and saw many things I didn't even realize I was doing. An official dx told me where to start from. Where to start studying to understand myself. And I did. Life began to make sense. All of it. BUT, I could only read about it a little bit at a time. I felt grief, pissed, and like my life was lost. My family knew long ago but for their own continuation of the pursuit of the American dream I was treated like nothing. After I received official dx, a family member already knew. I was livid. I was the only one not in on the joke. How I began to research all of this is a different story. I also spiraled around reading other psychological conditions for a long time but couldn't figure it out. I studied symptoms but not the root. I ruled out other conditions pretty fast but would only admit ASD extremely rarely. That is until I didn't give a crap anymore.

If it helps you, read more about ASD/HFA. It may unlock your life.

I've had my share of naysayers, too----trust me!

People calling me ret*d, wimp, spazz, "socially ret*d," sometimes worse than that.

You have to KNOW that you have worth, despite what the naysayers say. I am fortunate that I always KNEW that I have worth. Despite what my mother sometimes said, and what other people said.

My mother only said things out of anger and irritation---she didn't really mean what she said, frequently.