Mother/daughter diagnosis & bonding

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I was diagnosed with AS last fall after researching it for about a year. My mother has worked in group homes/youth shelters so she had some general mental health awareness, so she was extremely supportive when I said I thought I had Asperger's and wanted to pursue a diagnosis. Apparently in my childhood she pegged me as having some typically autistic behaviours, then realized I inherited it from her (though we are quite different from each other). I'm glad she never voiced that particular suspicion, because I felt like I discovered AS on my own without being influenced. My mom was nice enough to charge the hefty cost of my diagnosis to her credit card (although we were pretty sure that I could be reimbursed through my province's student aid program--which I was) and provide insight on my development as a child.

Four months later, my mom got her own diagnosis at the same place. She jokes that her "parasitic diagnosis"--having an already-diagnosed daughter--helped her be taken seriously in her own pursuit of diagnosis.

This whole process has really helped us bond in the last year. We were always close, but this process really has brought us closer together. I'm really thankful, because this has been a huge revelation in my life and I can't imagine having to face it with parental condemnation/apathy. Has anyone here had similar experiences?

Oh, how I wish! My mom is almost certainly autistic. I can see it when I talk to her, I can see it in her interaction and her obsessiveness and her sensitivity to just about everything--but she doesn't believe in psychologists, and so she can't get a diagnosis. I think if she knew more about herself, she could make life better for herself; she chases people away with her bluntness and is very vulnerable to exploitation; and her sensory issues make her tired and angry, and she blames people for being too loud or smelly or whatever--I don't think she realizes it's her being sensitive and that other people have no clue they are overloading her so much. But when I got diagnosed and told her about the autistic traits I see in her, she just kind of ignores the implications of it and sticks to taking random herbal supplements for her "nerves". I don't think a psychiatrist would even prescribe her any medication. What she needs mostly is some lessons on social interaction and cultural norms, so she can understand NTs better, and learn how to tell when people are trying to take advantage of her. But if she won't get a diagnosis, I can't force her.

My mom is definetley not autistic but I heard its not uncommon for autistic mothers to have autistic children. However my moms very NT.

Yes, with my son. He was Dx'd first and we are so much alike that it's not funny, so it has brought us closer.