Hi!

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Hi all! I'm new here. Thought it was pretty cool to see a forum like this. I'm 37 years old (unsure why it's showing 36 as I have the right birthdate) from a small town in Pennsylvania. I knew I had Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asperger's) since I was 14. I had teachers growing up who saw it in me but never got formally diagnosed. I could get formally diagnosed now but don't really see a benefit at the present time. I love the title of this forum because that's exactly what it feels like as someone with Autism. My main interests are mental health (because of my personal experiences and a huge part of my life - long story), suits, movies, tv shows, music and my faith. If I had to name a fictional character I feel like most days, it is "Mr. Data" from Star Trek: The Next Generation (one of my favorite tv shows). Getting closer and closer to being "human" but never quite fully getting there.

Hello.

Hello Mountain Goat!

Ahoy-hoy.

Hello funeralxempire!

Glad to meet a felow human being! Most don't say "Hello" back.

Welcome to Wrong Planet.

Haha. Glad to meet you too! I know it can be hard sometimes to break the ice. Thank you so much Mountain Goat

Feel free to reply to threads or ask questions etc.

I am one who wasn't diagnosed until earlier thie year as I joined this site soon after I was put on the four and a half year waiting list to be assessed.

Thank you, Mountain Goat! I've been going back and forth on getting diagnosed. Mainly thought about it for accessing some services in the future which would require a formal diagnosis. That's great you got formally diagnosed! That's a long waiting period.

That's awesome. One of the factors that sort of made me hold back is on the financial side with the cost of the testing. I'm glad the area you moved to helped to speed up the wait list! I live in Pennsylvania and have a feeling it would take a while. A long time ago I went up to Hershey Pennsylvania through Penn State to look into testing but due to distance never went through with it.

What I was asking myself looking back is why so few people spotted the obvious symptoms?

That's a good question. I know when I was going to school it felt like there must have been some training with teachers recognizing symptoms but nothing extensive. Mainly it was my elementary school teachers who recognized some signs in the mid 90's. I wasn't offered any type of services even though my teachers recognized it and mentioned it to my parents. I did have some occupational therapy for mechanical issues I had but not much other services and recognition other than that. It's unfortunate that the signs are still missed by many.

Welcome to Wrong Planet!