Auties who Succeeded in Society

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I have a question for those who were able to succeed in our society mainly employment. You guys rose the ranks of your company's organizations and some of you became managers. Some of you were able to successfully get married and have children. My question to you all is what made you all suspect that you had an issue or problem in the first place, suspected you had autism and/or went to get diagnoised especially later in life?

I always knew there was something wrong with me, just wasn't sure what it was.
My whole life I felt like I was out of my depth and it was only a matter of time before I went under.
It was like I was putting in 10 times the effort just to keep up with everyone else.
Had a huge burnout, ended up in hospital, and that led to diagnosis, but by that time I had been suspecting autism for about 10 years.

But, did you succeed though? Were you able and are still able to maintain employment? What about friendships and girlfriends/boyfriends(if you're gay)?

I think I've been successful.
Everyone probably has their own definition of that.
I became highly specialised in my work and ended up earning more than my colleagues.
Same partner all the way through, and I have a couple of close friends, enough for me.
Haven't worked for 2+ years now because of ill health.
Up until then I was employed full time for 14 years.

I did okay. I never got promoted on my job—but I stayed on my job 38 years (and counting).

I also stayed independent since I was 20.

I had classic autism. No speech until age 5 1/2. Went to special schools most of the time. Almost got expelled from public school.

Learned to drive late. At age 37.

Always had social problems. People thought I was weird all my life. Howl in the subways.

I will give you my definition. I mean being able to support oneself by being employed. I count owning one's own business as being employed as well.

So, it was sort of like a gut feeling of being out of place. Sort of feeling like some of those felt in the Matrix movies?

Howled? Like a werewolf?

Always felt odd as if i were on the wrong planet. Got diagnosis at around 36-ish while working in the government.

I suspected there was something with me, but i never knew until i read about the diagnosis and went "Ahaaaaa!".

Like a Wolfman...or maybe even an actual wolf.

I am not successful in the way you describe, but I have been employed at my current workplace for 16 1/2 years and I have a very good life with a lot of activities. I haven't found success in the dating world, but I hope to someday.

I knew I was different all my life. When I was growing up, I had few friends. Now that has changed. I don't know if, at this age, I will ever make the kind of changes to be one of those "super successful" people with Asperger syndrome, but I'm working on it.

Hmmm, interesting so far! My experience was similar. It's this inner knowing and/or gut feeling that something feels off.

Please, more ppl post!

I am probably successfull. I have husband, good job, finished school. Someone has already told me that I do not have the problem. That in IT field most people are weird.

When I looked for a job, I have to try a lot of interview before success. Someone come and he/she is successfull first. I was success because my employer needed 20 people. My part time job helped me later get my full job - same employer.
My salary was lower than my colleagues, I got small rewards. It improved when I wanted to leave.
At work I had problems with my boss. I was not able to talk with him sometimes. Now it is better with him, because he realised my problems and he takes that into account. When I want tell him or someone other something, I often have to write it on the papper and then tell it him or read.
I had interview in my work with leader of some project. Despite my attempt to explain to them that I have problems communicating with people, he and his colleagues concider me stupid.
I prefer written communication, I don't like call to people. Some people don't understand me.
I don't have relationships with my colleagues, I don't know talk with them about their or my life, only work things.
I don't remember faces.

My husband, I find it a miracle that I met him. He don't have friends. I didn't have other relationships.
He needs to have everything planned. He talk sometimes too much and sometimes don't know when stop. Sometimes other people react badly to him. He has a lot of knowledge about movies... I think he may be aspie too.

At university I learned one week on exam and 3 or next try. Other people talked how they didn't learn and they was successfull on exam. Worst was verbal exams. I struggled with the changes of the schedule.
I hated changeover lectures and examination period.
I was not able remember other students, i didn't have friends.
I believed that when I fail in school, I would not be able to feed myself, then isn't hope for better future. I had suicide thougths.
I prolonged my study (from 5 to probably 8 years).
I had problems with procrastination, always i postpone the supervisor's visit (one from reasons why i prolonged my study).
I was sick when someone was talking about school, when I came into the building... in the subway in this time was more than 10 ads with some school...

I have problems all my life. Problems in my work with my boss have forced me to visit the psychiatrist.

I have a job, a side job, a wife and child, and yet there's no doubt I have a disability. I was unable to talk until I was three, unable to tie my shoe until I was 13, unable to drive until I was 26, and I was constantly getting into fights at school. I should note my parents and to a lesser extent the state supported me well into adulthood, so I didn't achieve everything on my own.

I am probably the person who began achieving adult milestones (apart from education, a useless metric in retrospect) the latest of anyone here. I didn't get my driver's license until I was 48. I have never had a full time job (although I have worked at my current workplace for sixteen years, amazing when you consider I was a complete loser in my 20s who had no hope of ever getting a job). I'm not married, or even dating, but I hope that can change. At 54, I still live at home, but my responsibilities have grown over the past six years. I'm not sure what will happen if I find myself completely alone. I am working hard on an intensive "self-training, make me normal" program that will hopefully allow me to achieve at 60 what I should have achieved by 30.

Some of my more unusual goals are going to a tennis tournament, getting the highest recognition in Toastmasters and writing the story of Denis Istomin's life. Strangely, I feel more confident about accomplishing the unusual goals than I do about the regular ones.

I’m successful because I have autism. I never did drugs or impregnated women like the guys I grew up with. Once I finally focused 100% on work I became a 1%er in 6 months.