It's about time....

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that I figured this out... at age 48!

Hello - no diagnosis, but the lightbulb went on about a month ago that I'm most likely on the spectrum. I tore through Attwood's book and saw myself throughout ... And the tables/charts for females - all over that as well.

I am aware that when I describe my life it will appear that I have little to complain about, but I'm getting ready to go into a phase that's feeling an awfully lot like when I was just out of college.
I've coped pretty well in the past 20+ years or so (ages 12 through 24, not so much...)...It's taken hard work and some really good breaks - and nuggets of wonderful advice from unexpected places that I've been able to put into action at key times.

The basics:
-all I wanted for my 6th bday was a microscope, which I got...advanced language which got laughs but also admiration from adults...artistic...very rich fantasy play as a child - I kept waiting for my own children to do these things, but never happened...etc......
- obvious prosopagnosia
- great early childhood, really tough mid sch and hs, enjoyed some of college but 'pretended' to fit in
- dark time in late college and after graduated
- got a grip, went through what felt like a crash course in growing up and redoing adolescence
- by some miracle met a great guy, and have an excellent marriage and 2 really good kids
- Have worked about 'half-time' since I've had the kids, which has let me live in both the stay-home-mom world and working world, but at the same time in neither...I never really admitted it, but it's clear that I used each as an excuse to avoid uncomfortable situations in the other. (and yes, there have been plenty of syndrome related uncomfortable situations......)
- Now - about to have empty nest at the same time as my main client/employer is about to close the doors (owner retiring...). I'm feeling much of the anxiety I had straight out of college all over again and am feeling paralyzed. I so hate this familiar feeling that I hoped I would never have again.

Anyone out there in a similar stage of life?
I guess I'm looking for kindred spirits and hope, but I also feel like I can offer hope and even some good advice for the teen and twenty-somethings out there who are in that really rough spot...I absolutely wouldn't change my life or who I am at this point (couldn't say that when I was 20), but that doesn't mean I haven't had challenges to navigate.

OK - enough for now - any more details probably belong in another forum, not the intro section.
Thanks for reading if you stayed with it - sorry so long winded.

I am in somewhat of a similar situation. I am 39 and my husband will be transitioning to civilian life in two years. My oldest son is 19 and has just left home. We've always been semi-successful as well. I am new to the site, too. I have been reading the articles for the past couple of days and have been posting occasionally. Welcome.

Welcome. I was 42 when I found out I had AS.

Welkome to WrongPlanet.

The WP Kink

Oddfinn - how did you get your diagnosis? I don't even know where to go as an adult.
I've always known something was amiss, and have "tried on" and explored various conditions (ADD, depression, Anxiety disorder, etc...), but never sought a diagnosis because they all fit to some degree but nothing completely explained things. This fits like a glove, but I don't like assuming anything.

My compass is spinning wildly right now and I'm looking for a way to steady it (while not letting on to others my confusion).

Thank you all for the welcomes - this is becoming very enlightening