First Reaction when you were diagnosed with AS

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What was your first reaction the moment you were diagnosed with AS from a professional.
Mine was simply matter-o-fact. Logical. I didn't laugh or cry or get emotional like my other NT relatives. It was simple "oh. that explains a lot." I was however, very relieved to finally put a name to something

Yay, I'm in, whatever that means.


I had no idea what AS was when I was diagnosed.

My NT relatives weren't emotional...I find that odd. Maybe if I was a toddler it would have been some earth-shattering news, but as a 27 year I am who I always have been.

Anyway, my reaction? I was relieved that a professional concurred with me, but other than that I didn't have much of a reaction. I was expecting a diagnosis.

I was relieved and happy. I was relieved because I now knew why I had always been the way I was. And I was happy because...well...I was just happy---after feeling like I was the only person on earth like me, I now knew I wasn't alone.

When I found out about my diagnosis of AS, I was relieved to finally have a name for my unique behaviors and to know that there were other people like me. My parents had taken me to multiple doctors over the course of several years (well, by the standards of an eleven year old, it was several years), trying to find someone who could identify what was going on. Of course, some of them had tried to convince my parents that I had ADHD. Thank goodness my parents didn’t believe them.

Relieved that my concerns and observations were validated.

Indifference.

Some reason I didn't take it well. My aunt (who is a professional in this area) told my best friend that she thought I might have aspergers and I took that really personally for some reason, and got defensive. Then once I had time to take it in I was in complete denial. I think I tried so hard my whole life to be "normal" that hearing that I will never actually be "normal" now was hard. I feel like I am fine with it now though.

I just thought, "oh, okay." Indifferent. I didn't care. It's nice understanding myself more. Besides social communication, my aspergers never was a problem in my life. I don't really see it as a disorder. It's just my personality. I got diagnosed by coincidence, i never would've even got the diagnosis if i wasn't there for another disorder. My parents were really suprised. No one would have ever guessed i had it, the only thing they could tell was that i was shy around strangers.

I thought to myself. "Oh... Ok" then I don't remember how I felt.

I was glad that there was an official name for my unofficially named "Arrested Development Disorder" that I had joked about as a neurological condition unique to me. I was glad to find out that it was not unique to me.

I felt like a freak and abnormal. I wasn't happy about it at all because it meant I would never be normal and I was a failure so I thought I can try even harder to prove I don't have it. But I didn't even know what it was then.

I didn't know what AS was so I didn't have much of a reaction. I just thought "Oh, okay."

I was a teenager so I when I was told I was different I did not listen. I did not know or care what asperger was.
All I wanted was to fit in with the other kids. As far as I was concerned I did not have AS at all. I was just a strange,rebellious kid with very little friends. I was in denial for 7 years.

So, having no AS I have no place here...

/ trying to get myself over it /

Ok. My dx was technical in the sense it just confirmed my previous self dx. The initial revelation was stunning and its repercussions lasted for months along which I went through serious issues with self-esteem. I'm still struggling with gaining back my self-confidence that I had before. Otherwise, I'm fine with it and I'm glad I have lots of answers for questions that I could not even fathom before I came across ASD.

I complained several months ago about the way people seem to talk about AS as if it's the only autistic diagnosis bothered me, and it had practically no effect.