I was diagnosed with autism last week AMA

[Bluebele]

I'm 28 years old, over two years after going to my GP suspecting I might have autism I was diagnosed

What was it that made you think it? What did your gp do?
Is it a relief?

Hi!

Do you feel your life will be improved by having a diagnosis, and if so, how?

What are some mundane things that you find difficult that NT people find easy?

What was it that made you think it? What did your gp do?
Is it a relief?
I know someone who's also autistic and I found I related to them a lot and had similar difficulties so it got to thinking about the possibility of being autistic. I did some research on it and realised I had many of the typical traits. However I didn't end up doing anything towards getting a diagnosis for years.
GP was very kind and understanding, asked me lots of questions and then referred me.
It is deffiently a relief, throughout the process I still wasn't completely sure whether I was or not but now that I know I feel like I understand why I am the way I am more than I used to, certain traits to my personality make sense now

Do you feel your life will be improved by having a diagnosis, and if so, how?
I don't think it's going to change my life massively but it might in some ways, I'm becoming more understanding of myself and I've only a few close family members and friends so far but It has helped them understand me more. I have a feeling people see me as a bit odd no matter how hard I've tried to seem "normal". It's nice to know for sure though, I'm not left wondering anymore

Lots of q’s hope that’s ok:
Did it affect your schooling?
Do you think you’d have been diagnosed as a child with the understanding we have now?
Did you have lots of meltdowns as a child? Did your family feel something was different/quirky about you as a child?

Thank you.

What are some mundane things that you find difficult that NT people find easy?
Going out with friends, speaking with a group of people, having a change in routine, being told a list of instructions at once, I always concentrate on the first thing I've been told and forget the rest, being somewhere loud and/or busy. I think NT people find most of these things easy anyway

I find all those things difficult too. I'm NT as far as I'm aware. How do they diagnose you?

Did it affect your schooling?
I found school very difficult, I didn't really speak to the children to my class in primary school, in secondary school I had a few good friends but was still very quiet most of the time. I had a lot of anxiety surrounding school, worried about my day not going right before it had even started and often missed days because I knew something would be different to normal
Do you think you’d have been diagnosed as a child with the understanding we have now?
Possibly not, I was labelled as shy as a child, no one really thought i was anything other than that
Did you have lots of meltdowns as a child?
I always thought they were just tantrums but it would make sense if they were meltdowns as they were for reasons like something suddenly changing or my socks feeling uncomfortable. Honestly even when I'm very upset now I have a habit of pinching my skin and pulling my hair which I also did as a child, I only do this privately but it think I use it as a way of releasing frustration.
Did your family feel something was different/quirky about you as a child?
My mum noticed I was different, she experienced my tantrums and noticed I had quite obsessive behaviour. Most people just saw me as shy though

How do they diagnose you
I had 3 meetings with a psychologist and filled out an assessment form, then was told they believed I was on the spectrum after the 2nd meeting. Last week I received a report, had another meeting and they gave me an official diagnosis. During the meetings they asked many questions about different traits, my childhood and how i was then and how i am now, I had some family members always fill out forms about me

Can you describe specific traits on reaching adulthood that let you to seek diagnosis?

.

Can you describe specific traits on reaching adulthood that let you to seek diagnosis?
I think it some ways I've managed to blend in with everyone around me and live a fairly typical and normal life. I always felt different though, my friends always tell me to let go and relax and talk more. Yet I am relaxed with them I just don't seem tp be able to express how I feel, I usually have this blank look on my face. I find I'm either talking loads if it's a subject I'm interested in or I just can't seem to join in with the conversation, I don't always understand other people's emotions, I often assume they're angry at me or don't like me when that isn't the case. I also don't always feel the need to socialise, I could happily go days probably even weeks without talking to people as long as I have some entertainment. I've also noticed when I'm interested in something like a certain subject or hobby I basically become obsessed with it. I've had mental health issues from a very young age which makes some sense now as I know it's more common for people on the autistic spectrum, I started to experience really bad anxiety whenever something didn't go the way I expected it to, I have routines for virtually everything I do, something I only noticed in the past few years. There's probably more things if I keep going but these are some of the things I noticed about myself that led me to believing i might be autistic. I suppose the only reason for seeking a diagnosis really was so that I knew for sure if I am or not, it's not going to change the way I am but has helped me accept myself more

Bluebele, thank you so much for answering. I think in the future so much more will be understood and so many more diagnosed than now. Sounds like you now feel you have permission to accept yourself more, which must be very liberating.

Thank you for answering. Best of luck with everything. I agree with when you say having a diagnosis helps understand yourself. It’s helped me and my daughter understand her personality and definitely given us a strong bond. She’s my little star.