New to WP and to the spectrum.

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Hi everyone. I find it surreal that I'm on this forum. As a newly self diagnosed spectrum person I haven't told anyone about my condition except my wife, and she has suspected something was peculiar about me, and now I'm on here for everyone to see.
I am 53 and haven't ever really been comfortable in my skin but as I am getting older I have paid attention to my real self and what are my tendencies, behaviors, characteristics, feelings and nuances. Being married for 6 yrs and living with someone will also tend to bring out similar interactions on a daily basis that will high light one's quirks. I noticed behavioral traits that I questioned, finally asking is this "normal". It was surreal for me to fit into everyday life but my parents equipped me with learned behavior skills for daily routines but I always felt like an alien.
I am analytical and I research everything so a few months ago I wanted to know more on behaviors and that began the journey that I'm on. I didn't feel comfortable going to the many doctors or specialists that might be needed to diagnose me plus I really didn't want the intrusion of my suspicions to be dismissed. I have been dealing and aware of my peculiar self for the better part of 45 plus years.
After all the research material digested and available online testing I confirmed that I was on the spectrum. Somewhere in between Asperger's and PDD-NOS. I tested high and wanted my wife to take the tests as well to see her results comparative to mine. She tested low.
I didn't want my diagnosis to define me, I wanted clarity on why my real self behaved the way it did. It helps me to live peacefully with myself and for my wife to better understand me and my quirkiness
So Hi everyone

Welcome to Wrong Planet!

Hello and welcome.

You totally confused me with the American spelling and being from Dublin for a minute, but I got there in the end.

There's nothing wrong with self diagnosis, if you're sure, but I did learn some important stuff from my diagnosis that I would never otherwise have learnt. For example my negative emotions do not show on the outside. I had accepted that other people just don't care if they upset me, turns out they didn't know. There were others things too, but that was the main one, so it's worth thinking about whether you might learn something the people around you might be too used to you to note.

One of the most important things you should be aware of being an older adult with autism is that you made it this far, so don't get too worried about anything, the only thing that's changed is you know more about yourself. Another important thing, being married it's important your wife learns these things with you and understands them otherwise you may struggle with issues down the road regarding your relationship with your wife. Communication is very important in marriage and autism changes some of the ways we communicate which can cause issues with neurotypicals. All and all though welcome