How do you know?

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I advise you get a formal diagnosis. Of course, if you see no point, you might not want to. My parents and I wanted to obtain a diagnosis so I would be less marginalised. Unfortunately, the nature of my conditions means I will always have too much of something and not enough of something.

If you could tell us about some of your symptoms, perhaps we could give you an informal diagnosis.

Getting an informal diagnosis from a psychologist would probably be the best route. This way, you get nothing placed on your medical record.

I think the best way is to just trust yourself. Read up on it and see if it does describe you. Get a diagnosis if you feel you need one, but I don't think they're always necessary to be honest.

But just remember, it isn't something to be scared of! I know it's strange at first, but really, you're still you; it's just another thing to describe you with! You've obviously learnt to cope pretty well and you're getting on with things fine, so don't see it as a bad thing at all. It's just something to help you understand more about yourself with.

I don't think it's a negative at all - I love AS. Just think: you're in the company of some of the greatest thinkers and movers and shakers in history!

Think of it as a spectrum (I think I'm towards the infrared, unless they're measuring from the other way, then I'd be ultraviolet.. I know some of the things that others experience (stims? I'm not even sure what that means) I don't have, but a lot I do. It's not progressive, at least as far as I know.

With all the traits I exhibit, I'm definitely AS, self-diagnosed (the other possibility is called Medical Student Syndrome, but there's just too many 'positive' matches for it to be coincidence. While I can be funny (about every 3rd week), and talkative (sometimes too much so), it's been very helpful to me (why I'm such a dodger in supermarkets, position hand trucks to block people from me, etc...it just all starts to fit)

Once you learn what the signs are, you can learn to cope with each of them, and live a more 'normal' life. It takes a little more thinking things out before you do or say them, but it's got possibilities. It's what I plan to do