Stir_Ling from Chicago, Newly Diagnosed

Post Reply New Topic

I was diagnosed only five weeks ago, ASD Level 1, or what used to be called Asperger's, a term I struggle to use. Posting here is a huge step for me, as I'm also struggling to figure out where, when and how to reveal my diagnosis, and to whom. Sometimes, I still don't really believe it; on occasion, I'll observe my own behavior and conclude the specialists got it all wrong, even though I know they didn't. I've told close friends, most of whom shrugged and said, "Yeah, that's interesting." It's "mild," and "you don't seem autistic," and "congrats on your new journey."

I was born in 1973. I'm a published author, Rhetoric instructor in a community college, and I adored college while I loathed high school. I've had the same job in the community college for over two decades. I have two children, both teenagers now, but I'm divorced from their mother, for reasons that could easily turn into an info-dump, so I'll restrain myself. I had to deal with the court system to protect my children from their mother's erratic and dangerous personality, which put us all at risk, but I managed to get through it. We're all safe now, if this world can be considered safe.

My biggest struggle right now is to decide if I should write about my autism openly, in an article or book, or if I should keep living my life the way I always had, and let them judge for themselves. The more time passes from the diagnosis, the more aware I am of my masking, and of how much pain I'm in, physical and emotional, most of the time. Nobody can see it, and even when I tell someone close to me, they simply can't gather it because I'm not bleeding everywhere or suffering from a tumor.

I'll peruse the forums here in time, but I thought the first post should go here. I hope to receive help and to help others, however I can.

Welcome to Wrong Planet!

Welcome to Wrong Planet!

Welcome

Welcome to WP! I hope you find it interesting.

I received my diagnosis days before my 65th birthday. It seemed kind of significant so I decided I wanted to tell my siblings and then-still-alive Dad about the diagnosis in person.

Um. I was surprised by how little interest my siblings showed in my diagnosis—when I told them about it my siblings immediately started analyzing themselves with respect to my diagnosis. They didn't seem too interested inmydiagnosis...they seemed more interested in extrapolating what my diagnosis might tell them about themselves! And, none of my siblings is on the Autism spectrum
so my diagnosis really didn't have much bearing on them.

My Dad, on the other hand, wasn't just disinterested...he actively resisted any conversation about it. But then I realized Asperger's (my variety of Autism) wasn't in the DSM until 1994, the year I turned 40 and the year he turned 64. Before that I was just odd. I'm guessing it all sounded like some crazy new fad to him...one that probably wouldn't last.

So, I guess what I'm saying is: Don't be too surprised if people are not as interested in your diagnosis as you expect them to be.

(Though folk here on WP might be exceptions.)

Welcome to WPea