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Hello everyone. I joined this site a number of months ago, and have been apprehensive toward posting anything on the forums, but I finally figured I might as well just jump in. The reason I joined is because I very strongly suspect (as do nearly all of my peers), that I have undiagnosed Asperger's. Upon investigating it further, I realized that it may have been more than just, "a touch" of the condition, and things throughout my life began to make a lot more sense. The catch is, I will be turning thirty-one this summer, and while I have always been aware of ASD, I was only ever diagnosed as having ADHD in elementary school. My parents had a fairly hands off approach to raising me, and while that appears advantageous to an Aspie kid, it also means I haven't had much in the way of help figuring everything out.

I am undiagnosed, because getting to an annual check up makes me an anxious, nervous wreck, and going through the hoops to get an official diagnosis that won't change anything seems excessive. Regardless, I'm anxious in crowds, awkward in conversations, particular about trivial things, completely disinterested in everything I'm not completely interested in, and exciting situations evoke a strong urge to stim in some manner. At a young age, I remember paying attention to how people acted, and mimicked it, as if I was role playing in any social situation. I rarely talked about myself. The list goes on and on...

Oh yeah. Hi, my name is Chip, and I live in a small suburb north of Boston. Looking forward to meeting everyone.

Hi Chip,

A lot of us 'older' Aspies have found our way here by starting with a self diagnosis. If you have a read around, there are many threads discussing the pros and cons of official diagnosis. Many people are happy to research about the condition, decide if it explains their whole life, and leave it at that. You just need to do what is right for you.

Welcome to WP

Hi Chip!

I hesitated only briefly about getting diagnosed formally last year at age 36. For me, having a formal diagnosis was important in order to validate what I knew to be true. But, that is not the case for everyone, especially in adulthood. Do what feels right for you.

And welcome to WP!

Thanks! I look forward to investigating the diagnosis/no diagnosis arguments further.

Hi ya! This place is grrrreat! muhahahaha
jk

Welcome! A few of us have had the same experience... I was just recently diagnosed myself (29) and, although I originally thought it was kind of mild, I did my own life review and things started making sense...
Whether Aspie or NT, this forum is a great, supportive place!