Hello everyone!
Since I was about 11 it was clear to me that I was very different from other people. It was clear to me that I had a lot of trouble handling social situations, even though I tried very hard to become better at it since I was 11, while on the other hand it was much easier to me to deal with school/university subjects than to other people. During that time I developed a fascination for how people think, behave and feel and it made those differences much clearer, and while I learned a lot with it, it seemed I didn't get much better in practice. I think I may have gotten very good at hiding it, because nobody commented on those differences or anything. My guess is they just rationalized it the way I used to: that it was just that I was shy, introvert, quiet, etc.
I had researched about autism and other kinds of neurodivergences during that time but for some reason I have never identified with any. Maybe I was still stuck to the idea that I could be "fixed". But that changed not long ago and I noticed my similarities with the high-functioning end of the spectrum, even with some things I never realized could be seen as being "different". I still have to get a proper diagnosis, and I will do so after things are safer out there, but I already feel much better knowing I'm not as alone as it looked like I was.
I'm from Brazil, I'm a graduate student in Mechanical Engineering and I like a lot of stuff, especially writing, languages, listening to music, programming, some philosophy (ethics, logic, Stoicism) and Star Trek.
Also, it's good to be back to a forum. It's been a while since I saw one of these. The nostalgia hit immediately.
See you around!
23 Apr 2020, 9:10 pm
! I have an AS friend in Sao Paulo there who is doing amazing things in the autism field. So glad to read that your stance on being fixed has changed. Good to have you with us.
