mild diagnosis of AS...what does this mean??help please

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Hi wigglyspider,
You are sooo right, why worry about what label it is anyway....as you say, I know what my strengths and weaknesses are, and Im just going to concentrate on how I can improve.
Yeah, doctors are far from gods, they just do thier best.
Funny, I had lunch with a friend of mine today and told her about the AS assesment, she said she knows quite a few aspie's, and said that it really explains alot about my life. She has known me for 20 yrs.
thank you for reply.

Yeah, you can learn to adapt. I don't know if it's a conscious or subconscious thing either. I was given a diagnosis of 'moderate to severe' but now 10 years on I'm wondering if I was ever clinical at all. I obviously wasn't 'severe'. I know that much.

There are people who struggle their whole life and are relieved to get some answers. There are others who think there's nothing wrong with them at all who get diagnosed, so obviously they had no idea that they were having difficulties with certain things. Maybe they thought everyone else did too. Who knows...

It's not unusual for them to have anxiety BUT the reasons for it in AS are usually different to normal anxiety. In AS an inability to read people and gestures leads to unpredictability and needing a rigid routine makes this unpredictability unacceptable for them... That's my guess anyway. Normal anxiety is more based on past experiences, maybe genetic reasons?

Welcome verticalmum! I second everything that has been said so far. Being on the mild end of the spectrum might be a little confusing; like you don't belong in either the Asperger or Neurotypical category. I think that just means that you have the challenges of Asperger Syndrome but your symptoms are currently close enough to being NT that coping should be more achieve-able. Don't forget the advantageous traits of AS which can help you do that. For example, when I encounter something stressful, I find it helpful to do research about the source of stress. Aspies are noted for their tenacious ability for effective research. These days the internet gives us a wonderful tool to do so.

Also, there is a lot of variation within the AS community. Don't talk yourself into traits you don't have simply because of the diagnosis.

Dear verticalmum,
hang in there! You will make it, no need to doubt yourself!

Your diagnosis pertains only to the way your brain is wired - it has nothing to do with value of you as a person or a human being. Take care!