Diagnosis confirmed.

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Hello fair people of the interwebs. I was assessed last week. Got a phone call this morning confirming I do indeed have autism. All I could say was makes sense. Which I mean... it does. I am 34 and only about 2 months ago while describing my behavior to my therapist realized it sounded alot like autism. The light bulb in my head was then promptly shared by my therapist judging by the look on her face after I said it. My wife joked years ago because my closet had nothing but black t shirts and cargo pants. I have since researched and become more aware of how I am wired. I feel less like I am fighting my own brain now. Like 34 years..how lol. They originally diagnosed me with adhd but that never felt right nor really fit. Like well I guess because it really didn't. Anyways that has been my experience as of late. Anyone else in here have something simular? Also did getting an official diagnosis help you personally? Still kinda wrapping my mind around it all. Like still me but now just more aware of me... if that makes any sense.

Congratutations!

Thanks lol.

I was just about to post something similar. Just got my diagnosis verbally yesterday. It wasn't a shock since I have suspected/known for a while, but for me it took 54 years.

What if, and I'm just spitballing here, we're part of a much larger group than people knew about, and our creativity and our differences are actually amazing?

Food for thought

Welcome to WP! I hope you like it here.

I was 64 when I got my diagnosis.
- It made me happy because it explained so much.
- Has no practical value. Though I am trying to get my medical practitioners to adjust their approach to it.
- When my bride bumps up against one of my Autism traits, I enjoy saying:
Though she does not enjoy hearing "I have a doctor's note for that!"

Quite possibly. Alot of people just don't know alot about it and there are alot of misconceptions which is what prevented me from even considering it as to why I felt so different than others. I notice things most do not and when I have supervisors who listen I am a great asset. The problem is many do not listen and expect me to perform exactly like everyone else. Save for a few great bosses I had who took everyone's individual skills and talents into account. One time I prevented an anhydrous ammonia tank from releasing its contents because my mind worked out the problem differently. The other works assumed the hydrostatic leaking was because it was getting corroded which is common. For me I was like isnt that a pressure relief device... so perhaps it's just doing its job? I was the only one to check the pressure gauge.. seemed so obvious to me but the 2 other who were my seniors completly missed it. For society to truly succeed and evolve I think it takes a more flexible framework than what currently exsists. Need outside of the box thinkers and those of use who are like mobile computers. Need a fair mix of it all and to utilize people for what niche they fill. I think eventually society will catch up with us. Also us to work more freely and independently. Can easily accomplish tasks just don't ask me to prioritize mundane tasks over more complex and nuanced ones... Well atleast for me.

Been nice here thus far feels nice to fit in a bit. For me I have gotten some practical value atleast. New strategies to help mitigate being overloaded in public. Better ways to help my wife understand me and me her ect. Otherwise pretty much just the same old me but now I don't fight being me.

If even a significant portion of these really are Autistic, we're in good company.

I work in software, are I think I can often find patterns quickly where other people struggle. On the flip side, I'm sometimes unable to explain how it is that I see the pattern, although I know for sure it's there. So my ideas are usually right even if others don't always understand.

In the end, I'm pretty good at what I do and that's in large part to the way my brain works.

Congrats! I can relate, especially the wardrobe! I do have grey shirts too though

Sounds like diagnosis has been a positive experience for you.

It helped me accept it and accept myself more. Not feel so angry at myself for feeling so stressed in stores.. has been enlightening. Turns out alot of my family has autism I just typically talk to that side if my family. They are all just finding out as well. It's in the genetics. Also side note, Well since my wife and her family commented on me always wearing only black. I have since added grey, red, dark blue to the mix... the cargo pants stay. Also socks with no seam at the tip.. because obviously.

The fun part is when you give someone advice based on observations that are super spot on and they don't believe you until someone in xyz profession tells them. Seeing patterns ruins movies though. Give me a little fore shadowing and the movie is ruined... not really but I will immediately reveal the entire plot. Can't help myself. I worked as a network engineer.. like the physical side of it. I could easily see the layout in my mind and know how it would look after completion but it was always hard to be the lead and tell everyone else my mental picture. Even if I would tell them people are not perfect.. they would have the cables running like on tile over from where I pointed out.. or the ap two tiles over.. not efficient. On my own though.. couldnt be happier. Just me with some music and my work. Plus I could take 100% credit for my success and the beautiful cable management. unlike my coworkers I never had to get sent back out to any of the sites I worked due to f ups because it isn't a f up until you leave the site. Autism helped me be more dedicated to details my bosses found important. Less dedicated to all the paperwork they wanted done though.

I can definitely relate. I'll turn 58 in a couple weeks, and while my wife and I have sort of suspected I could be on the spectrum, the issue cropped up in a really strong way in the past couple weeks, so I've been taking online tests and watching videos about how I would know whether I'm autistic or not. It's pretty clear that I am. I'm struggling with whether to get an official assessment or not. I wouldn't really benefit from it any way other than I'd have clear, unambiguous, concrete knowledge about it but-which to me is another indicator that I'm autistic.

I can definitely relate about the clothing. My preference is to wear nothing but black and grey, but my wife really struggles with that so I have some clothing that's not. But when I wear it, I feel really self-conscious even though I work from home.

ADHD is often co-morbid with both, so it is possible you have both and not just one or the other.

However, like you say, the ADHD could also be a misdiagnosis.

There is some overlap between the two disorders, particularly in the area of executive function and selective attention etc.

Congratulations and welcome. Diagnosed at 68 and it has made a tremendous difference in all aspects of my life. Suddenly so much of the past makes sense. It is a lot to sort! Take your time and learn all you can about your own brand of autism, how it affects you, how you can adjust things in your life to make every day living better. I think diagnosis can be absolutely life changing for older adults, even in the last stages of life. Nobody knew! It really makes everything explainable when we finally see how autism had its works behind the scenes with nobody understanding that.