Hello, I'm a newbie

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Hi everybody,

Great to read such interesting posts.

I'm a newbie to the wrong planet community.

I'm a guy in my early thirties, and my world is being turned upside down at the moment as recently worked out that I have asperger's syndrome.

My wife and I had known there was just something not right with our relationship, and she came across some info on aspergers - and hey presto, it was like reading excerpts from my life story.

I'd consider myself to be quite high functioning in that I've managed to hold down jobs in my life, but I've always dreaded working with the general public, have difficultly focusing on tasks, have a total problem with time management, and my 'quirky' observations on life have nearly gotten me into trouble with colleagues at times.

I'm finding it quite difficult at the moment, I'm signed of work with stress and I'm looking back at my life now knowing why I've reacted to situations in the way I did, why I was eternally embarrassed as a child, and why my poor wife feels so isolated.

I'd like to hear from others who have been diagnosed late in life, and what it was like for them to view the world with new eyes.

Kind regards

Peter.

Hi Peter. Welcome to WP.

Hey n00b,

The most important part now is that you know. Reality is the final arbiter, and once known can be dealt with. Good luck with your new knowledge if I don't cross your path in the future, and I hope all works out well.

Welcome to wrongplanet n00blet...

hope you enjoy it here

may i ask if you have the autistic trademark of idiosyncratic / obsessive interests?

Nice to meet you, mathalete.

Hail to the Scots!! !! !! !! !!

Hey Peter... I'm afraide I wasn't diagnosed late in life, but I would be glad to give you my perspective on any specific problem you are having.
I think all aspies on this forum can relate to the "It was like reading excerpts from my life story" thing, I know I can.

Well... Welcome and good luck with the wife thingy

Welcome, and oh, yeah, do I know what you are going through!

After a lifetime of unintentionally infuriating people at every office I have ever worked in, even as I did outstanding work and got outstanding reviews, I finally found out in my 40s that it was Asperger's.

I was actually relieved to know, because I have finally learned to stop trying to get people at the office to understand the way I think. What they want is for me to smile and nod, just as everyone else does, and not appear to know much. I have discovered that they do not want to hear complex descriptions of solutions to their data problems, but they do want me to come to them for help that I do not need, so that I appear to be a team player, which I most emphatically am not.

It is a tough act to perform each day, but in the long run it has made life at the office more bearable - for me, and I imagine for the people I have to work with.

At least now I know why I have had difficulties all of my life.

So, welcome, and congratulations on having a very special brain !

Hi mathalete

welcome to WP.

Are you one of those math lovers? [as suggested by your username] Knowing me, i'm probably wrong!

I wasn't diagnosed late...I was when I was 15. I can relate to what you say though...Reading about AS was like reading about my life aswell. I'm sure many can relate.
I hope you enjoy posting here.

Thanks everyone for your positivity.

Strapples, my obsessive interest is web standards - I build websites for a living and i'm a stickler for creating accessible, compliant, attractive and usable websites.

I liked yours by the way, and I found your story very interesting.

Welcome

Welcome Peter!:)

Welcome to WP!

To WrongPlanet!! !

You will find many here who were diagnosed late in life...We in the "Dino Aspie Cafe" are the last generation to
be diagnosed with AS in our mid-life years.

Welcome mathalete,

I can see exactly where you're coming from.

My eldest child got diagnosed 2.5 years ago and then we realized it was genetic and that I showed symptoms more strongly than he did.

So I was about 36 when I got diagnosed.

Wow, what a wake up... and how great it was to be able to re-evaluate things in a new light.

I'm still going through a period when I remember something every few days and then go - oops... that was an aspie reaction - that's why I did this... that's why that person reacted that way... that's what it meant etc...

I've got a blog in my footer where I'm slowly adding articles based on my own experience about things I learn from Aspergers and introspection. You might find it useful since we're in the same boat.

If you need any more specific info, ask away.

Did anyone else feel like they didn't know 'who' they were when they got diagnosed?

I feel like I don't know who the heck I am anyone more.

I guess i've kinda been like a magpie, collecting the parts of peoples personalities that I liked, and then mimicking them....

Quite a scarey thought...

Actually, that seems to be natural adaptive, and maybe even healthy, behavior!
Read on:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/12/healt ... nted=print