Did you go through a phase of denial?

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I didn't have any denial, if denial is an irrational refusal to accept an idea. I was skeptical when my (then) wife suggested I had ASD, and figured she might only think so because she had studied autism on her teaching course and therefore could be seeing it everywhere. But I wasn't so skeptical as to ignore the possibility - without further prompting I took a couple of online tests which both turned out positive, and after that I proactively set about seeking a professional diagnosis. I sometimes have my doubts about whether or not I've got it as severely as the diagnosis suggested, because my employers were scaring me stiff by trying to insist I did certain jobs which were very "Aspie-unfriendly," and I felt that without a proper diagnosis to get me out of that, I might end up being dismissed. So I clearly had a motive for exaggerating the severity of my condition - I was afraid that I might score just under the diagnostic threshold, and as the testing was very largely subjective self-assessment, I couldn't rule out the possibility that I may have stretched the truth a little here and there. But ever since the online tests I've not seriously doubted that I have the condition to some degree.

Sometimes I wonder whether I might have just picked up the traits from my upbringing, as my father seems to have been a relatively unreconstructed Aspie, but if he was autistic then presumably that adds to the probability that I inherited it genetically to some degree.

Not what you'd call denial, just a clear-minded, objective understanding that I can't be absolutely certain. I can understand how people's pride and fear of stigma might cause them to insist to themselves that there's nothing "wrong" with them, but a person has to be capable of closed-mindedness to be able to do that, and that's a skill I'm not good at. I habitually think in terms of the balance of probabilities rather than absolutes.

I didnt, neither did most of my family, but my dad did for a little bit, mostly in the form of cure or treatments.

Oh I definitely went through denial. My parents first brought up the idea of Asperger's when I was 18, having just started my first year of college. They dragged me to a professional but I refused to go back after the first session. I really resented the idea and hated it when they would bring it up. I think a big part of the problem was that I believed a lot of the inaccurate stereotypes about autism. Also, at that point, I was still able to muddle my way through life (though with significant difficulty).

In the 15 years since then, I've encountered much more difficulty getting by. By NT standards I'd probably be considered quite a failure. Anyway, a few months ago I came across a post about autism and I just kinda had a lightbulb moment. I realized that, despite all the mental and physical health issues I had researched recently, I hadn't actually looked into autism in well over a decade. I started to do some research and things really began to click, especially when I started reading things written by autistic people. Now, having researched it quite a bit, I'm convinced that I very likely am autistic. At this point I'm slowly trying to work my way to an official diagnosis but I haven't made it very far.

LOL...you know what I mean when I said "forked tongue"--that's not sharpness; that's deviousness.

I will check out the link. I just can't do it here.

When I was diagnosed with AS at the age of 13, I had no idea what my specialist was talking about. All I cared about at the time were coping with the passing of my father {who passed one year before}, fitting in at school, and winning over a pretty girl who was in the same class as me.

Now, I have accepted the fact that having AS is a part of who I am, much to the dismay of my family. I will continue to try and convince my sister to get evaluated for AS, even though she is an "Autism denier."

Question: Do you think "Autism deniers" may have ASD themselves? Think of the analogy as "Autism deniers" being like homophobes. Some homophobes may be closeted LGBT folks who struggle to suppress their homosexuality in the same manner "Autism deniers" won't accept the existence of people with ASD.

Nope. I mean, I've always known about it... it would feel absurd for me to ever be in denial of it.

I am in the position where I suspect strongly I may be, but without a formal diagnosis to nail the question for sure.

The first year tended to be looking back through my life for patterns consistent with being on the system.

This year I would not say I was in denial, but I am certainly considering the advice "Always think it possible you may be mistaken," noting that for the most part the effects seem to.be mild, I have never been out of work during the last 32 years and I even have a friend or two.

I observe the questioning comes about having considered the possibilities of seeking a formal diagnosis. I would find being told I was not and I had been taking a few bits and pieces of my life and forming the wrong conclusion something of a crushing experience which would leave me feeling like a fraud

I often go through not denial as such, but doubt. Sometimes I think "yeah maybe I was rightly diagnosed with ASD", but when I think of the way I'm succeeding in relationship and how good I am at identifying and expressing emotions and reading subtle body language of others, and having short attention span on even my interests, I think "maybe I was misdiagnosed, maybe I have something else".