Can it really be a month already?

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Apparently yes - I've been here for exactly a month now.

Joining in here has been the best thing that I did since my diagnosis just a few weeks before. I lived for 45 years wearing my "normie mask" and not knowing why the hell I felt like I was living on the wrong planet. I now feel so much more comfortable in my own skin thanks to the advice and life stories that you all share so generously.

Thank you all.

I want to actively seek an official diagnosis myself. It seems surreal doing so in adulthood. I don't know where to start.

Hi Drkshadow,

Yes, I've found late in life diagnosis very surreal myself - it still is now, as I reflect on my past life in the light of what I now know.

If I had to give you one piece of advice, I would say to use sites like this one to learn as much as you can about autism, as it is actually lived by autistic people. I really wish I had done that in the lead up to my evaluation - as I've got more involved here, I've realised that I have behaviours that I could have reported at my evaluation, but I took them for being "normal" after 40 years of not knowing any better, when in fact they were expressions of my autistic traits.

As far as the practical part of getting a diagnosis - that seems to vary greatly between different health-care systems. As a UK resident, it is hard for me to advise you accurately. I'd suggest making a new thread seeking advice from other Canadian citizens - there are sure to be at least a few here who have already been through the process, and would gladly help you.

I was diagnosed at age 49. It feels kind of weird to have gone most of my life not knowing that I was autistic.

It's been a surreal experience for me the last few months as well. Who knew some research would answer so many questions and lead me to me being physically healthier too?

I am glad you are feeling more comfortable, I am in the same boat with adjusting to everything, it is a peculiar sensation when you understand why you have struggled and been under so much weight, it truly is like you have been wearing an uncomfortable mask for aeons!