Hello world

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Joined: 26 May 2016
Gender: Male
Posts: 4
Location: Australia

26 May 2016, 11:33 pm

My name's Brendan, I'm 22, live in Sydney Australia and I'm trying to rediscover who I am.

As a kid I was a typical aspie, clumsy, horrid handwriting, good at some school topics; some really bad stories of flirting; you get the idea. But for everything I failed at I would push back harder. I pursued hobbies generalyl I sucked at, just to get good. Martial arts, surfing, rollerblading (To name a few); I armed myself with knowledge, studied body language and sociology. By the time I was 18 I was charming, athletic, strong group of friends, overall a well liked, normal dude. So when I had a doctor in the family come up to me at a party and asked "where on the spectrum I fell" I was honestly surprised; to be fair, she's a doctor of behavioural sciences.

The catch is, I didn't know I had it. Didn't know the first thing about it so understandably I denied it. But the seed of doubt was sown; That feeling that something wasn't right that followed me everywhere now had a cause. I spent a night researching ASD and for the most part scoffed at it. I honestly didn't believe I had it. But as I delved deeper bits and pieces started to stand out; "Refusal to wear certain fabrics", "Restrictive diet", "feeling like there's a secret to making friends that nobody is telling you".

It took me three years and a lot of debate with friends, family, people on the spectrum and even a few doctors. The problem was that I spent so long fighting against the symptoms that I'd effectively hid every one of them; even to myself. The only give away t my aunt the doctor; I mirrored her body language too well and forgot to carry the eye contact (she's since taught me some great tricks :wink: )

So now here I am. 22 and trying to let go of two decades of self-denial.
Nice to meet you all. Hopefully I can learn how to be that imaginative young mind again.

mikeman7918
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Joined: 7 Mar 2016
Age: 27
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Posts: 1,929
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26 May 2016, 11:49 pm

Welcome to Wrong Planet!

_________________
Also known as MarsMatter.

Diagnosed with Asperger's, ADD, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder in 2004.
In denial that it was a problem until early 2016.

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Anachron
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Joined: 2 Mar 2015
Posts: 431
Location: Within & Beyond

27 May 2016, 12:03 am

Hello there.

Kiprobalhato
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Joined: 25 Mar 2014
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27 May 2016, 1:38 am

many of us would be doing the same at that age.

i'm 18, 19 next month and while i do believe in am slowly moving forward in life, i find myself wondering whether my trajectory is really leading to where i want to be...

i pursued new hobbies and interests like you too, i tried to get into aikido as a child, did it for 3 years and grew bored. i did track and field junior and sophomore years of HS, very physically taxing at first but i met some really nice people and made a couple of buds. was certainly not the fastest sprinter (200 and 400 meter) but i guess i was good enough.

i think it's great you were able to manage your symptoms well enough i think i did pretty good as well.

oh, and my family and doctors were debating a lot about my diagnosis as well :mrgreen: but i was 4 then.

welcome to the club.