5 years since I was diagnosed and joined Wrong Planet

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On August 26, 2013 at age 55 I found out who I was and it explained a lot.

In the 5 years since a whole bunch of serious health issues has cropped up and without the knowledge of who I am what my "triggers" are and so on I very likely would be in worse physical and especially mental shape.

So much has happened in the world of Autism in these 5 years. Back in 2013 Aspergers had just been subsumed and of most posters assumed that the DSM would come to their senses and bring it back. Hans Asperger was viewed as a quiet resister to the Nazi killing machine has been exposed as a career opportunist complicit in said killing machine. The Neurodiversity movement point of view spurred by the book "Neurotribes" has gained much more mainstream media acceptance. Characters with autistic traits are being labeled as autistic, even lead characters of network shows and Hollywood movies. Even Autism Speaks added 3 autistic board members while taking "cure" out of their mission statement. Concurrently increasingly Autistics have viewed the ND as ableist and elitist and the anti-vaxx movement that views autistics as mutants, not in the good X Men way, has gained. And seemingly every day a new "link" to Autism link has been found. So much has happened in the nonautistic world also. 5 years ago Donald Trump was a seemingly washed up reality TV host.

There has been a lot of time in hospitals and rehab centers where it would have been easy to get depressed, bored and have my mind go to waste. But WP, when the software has been working, has been a support system, place to get a needed rant, and mind stimulant.

Thanks to Alex for making WP possible and all the members from the people who were there back then to the new members that bring different perspectives.

I hope in the next 5 years things will be noticibly better for Autistic people everywhere.