How old were you when you were diagnosed?

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Hi, this question may have been asked before but I am wondering how old you were when you received your diagnosis of AS?

My daughter is nearly 16 and I want to get her assessed, but at the same time she is in complete denial (her 13 yr old brother has moderate/severe autism) and my husband has traits of AS undiagnosed. This is an extremely tricky age and I don't want to hurt her about this that she would never forgive me or something in the future, because I have a feeling she would. I love her dearly but she has many issues.

By the way, my avator is one of my daughter's drawings - she has savant skills in art.

Thanks and would like to hear your stories of how you felt, whether your parents suspected AS in you? whether you knew yourself and how you felt.

Thanks for your help on this.

I guess I am the opposite to your daughter I would have loved to have known about my AS at 16 it was such a tough age for me and one of a great many upsets. I got diagnosed eight years later at 23.

I was 58 years old when I was diagnosed. I was 56 when I found out about Asperger's Syndrome. I wasn't 'in denial' I just didn't know about it until I found out about it.

I have mixed feelings about finding out when I was younger. I might have thought myself a victim of life rather than constantly trying to improve myself to be 'as good as' non AS.

Merle

I was 32 when I was diagnosed, but suspected I had it for several years before that.... I didn't do anything about it, mainly due to thinking I'd be branded a hypochondriac. I only found out when I asked my mum at age 32, that she suspected something was different in me from around age 5. I'm kind of pleased she didn't make an issue out of it.

In many ways I'm glad I didn't find out until I did. I think I found out at the right time for me - I wasn't really looking for answers before then, and I wouldn't have wanted them foisted upon me. I guess if your daughter is strongly against the idea of assessment at the moment, then this isn't the right time for her, and maybe it's best to just step back, however hard that is. When she decides herself that she wants to explore the reasons for things, then that's the best time. Otherwise, as you say, she may become very upset. At 16, she's probably got enough to think about already. Anyway, that's just my thoughts. I hope everything works out well for her, and for you.

Why do you want her to get assessed? Is she experiencing a lot of problems in relation to her AS traits?

To answer your question: I'm in the middle of the diagnosing process now, and I'll hear whether I have AS or not next week, on Thursday. And I am nineteen.

I was 13 but didn't accept it until I was older than 20.

23.

I was 21 and I was happy at that age with the diagnosis.

I was 12 when diagnosed. My parents have always known I was different and didn't know what I had. I didn't accept my diagnoses until I was 15. I was never in denial. I just didn't even know what it was and I hated being different. I wanted to be like everyone else. There came a time when I thought I didn't have it anymore. Was that denial?
I thought I could just get rid of my AS when I was first diagnosed if I could be like everyone else and get my self to be normal. Was that denial?

I was "assessed" at the age of 32.

I had someone tell me about Aspergers at the age of 16 but didnt go through with the diagnosis as I was going through a bad time in my life. I ended up getting a diagnosis at the age of 20 which I feel better for as i can have the supoort I need

Started the process at 19; diagnosed at 20.

Probably would've been earlier, had the assessors not wanted to save money.

I always knew I was different and knew I had something but didnt know what
When I was 15 my Mum suggested I go and get assessed for Aspergers, then I was diagnosed 2 years later at 17

I was dignosed with HFA at the age of 5 and a half.

HFA, 35 yrs old

37.