why is being diagnosed Aspergers important for adult?

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I can understand why the diagnosis would be important for a child, but what are the advantages to being diagnosed in adulthood? I was not diagnosed until about age 54, long after I had lived through and had to deal with all of my eccentricities and weirdness. Other than having a retrospective perspective that finally put a face on what I have experienced in my life, I see no tangible benefit for having the diagnosis. It has explained a lot about my life and given me an identity and understanding of myself but to people who have known me all my life, such as family and friends of family, they have become so accustomed to me that the diagnosis means nothing to them other than those times when someone gets thrust into the news limelight, usually for something not especially noble. Other than that, I think any conversation anyone has regarding me and Aspergers is done behind my back. My Dr.s are more focused on my physical issues and my social anxiety, bi-polar and DID. They don't even seem to have any interest in discussing Aspergers with me, but I know they can see how obsessed I have become with being finally able to categorize myself. As far as having any other benefit in my daily life, the diagnosis is meaningless.

One advantage for an adult in an Aspergers diagnosis is not getting misdiagnosed with social anxiety, bi-polar or many of the others. Eg Susan Boyle was told she had brain damage from being deprived of oxygen at birth. I firmly believe some doctors prefer a misdiagnosis of something they have a pill for than a correct diagnosis for something with no pill. Follow the money.

the advantages are perspective,

Wrong Planet has a mountain of evidence

we are the cutting edge of experience

I was diagnosed at 31. After learning about AS I had a huge need to know for sure. For me, that was very important. For me at least you cannot underestimate the need to know for sure.

It you're lucky it can also help you be treated with a little more respect by employment bureaus, instead of being seen as lazy and difficult. Not that they can give you any more help but...

It was very important for me to get a diagnosis of Asperger's as an adult. Learning I have Asperger's made me realize there was a reason for the way I have always been, different. As I got older, I often wondered why I self-absorbed into interests so deeply at the expense of socializing. And I wondered why eye contact was so difficult. And why bright lights and certain sounds bothered me, etc.

As I walked out of the clinic with my diagnosis, a thought traversed my mind, "My journey has just begun." I began a quest for an understanding about all the things regarding autism. I embarked on an odyssey of self-discovery with the new realization I had obtained upon walking out of that clinic. As I reflected back upon my life, I saw the puzzle pieces of my eccentricities fall into place. And, I was not alone. There were others like me. And upon joining the WrongPlanet, I was able to learn many more aspects about this condition.

I am happy to have Asperger's. Challenges? Yes, just like anyone on this planet. Autism presents its own set of challenges, but I learned ways to navigate a little better around this confusing earth after participating in a series of therapy sessions after being diagnosed with Asperger's.

With Asperger's I enjoy a life of special intense interests that have always managed to entertain me with delight. With Asperger's I have enjoyed the successes of being a talent savant (approximately one in ten autistics are talent savants).

I am currently writing a book about my life with Asperger's (yes, I know, many have done that, but each of our stories of life is unique and worthy of mention). I feel having the official diagnosis of Asperger's is important to me in order for me to publish the book. After being diagnosed and floating around autism forums, I found an author submission for an anthology. I wrote up a narrative from my childhood that was chosen as one of the works for publication in the book. After the anthology was published, I then decided to begin my own book about my growing up with Asperger's.

So yes, being diagnosed with Asperger's is important to me. It has paved a new highway in my life. It has not only strengthened my relationship with my family, but also led me down a journey of self-discovery.

For someone who only has Asperger's and is not bipolar or who does not have other significant issues that were identified and addressed, in my case I also have Miosphonia which is also very newly recognized so it was not identified nor has it ever been addressed, getting a diagnosis in adulthood can make a huge difference. I grew up getting disciplined for Autistic and Misophonic issues. I had to learn to hide my symptoms and traits in order to get by. I had no knowledge of Autism or Asperger's growing up and had no explanation for any of my struggles. My family was used to me but I could never show my traits or symptoms even around them. I always had to appear as normal and functional as I could. I have also never been able to hold a job for very long because of these issues. A formal diagnosis would not only give me validation but would also help my family understand that I have a real reason for my issues. It would help them believe me and not just think I decided to call myself Autistic because I read about it on the back of a cereal box. Just that alone would give me more freedom to relax and be my authentic self rather than having to struggle and get exhausted trying to keep up appearances all the time. And even though the benefits in America are very limited for adults, I have recently found out that there are some benefits. And in my particular situation even those few benefits would make a huge difference in the quality of my life.

For me getting Diagnosed recently has enabled me to let go of my anger and wonder of why are my relationships failing.

I blamed every one else for their retaliation against me and I could not see that I said inappropriate things to people. Also, I had a creepiness about me when it came to interacting with women. It also answered why I go into fits and why I can't handle to much emotion.

Now I have a process and a thought pattern to follow to stop some of my anxiety. I'm trying to cut down on my creepiness factor or I am going to end up sitting alone forever.

I guess for me personally, getting a diagnosis made me feel that I was not so alone.

Most of my life was spent trying somehow to 'fit in', to be like everyone around me. And, it never really worked; but what it did do was to increase my anxiety and depression. (Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Clinical Depression)

So yeah it was important, if only to tell myself, 'This is who I am and I'm tired of trying to be who I am not.'

Even tho I was diagnosed as ASD (or what was once known as Classic Autism) for me it answered a lot of questions as to who I am because growing up the word "Autism" was hinted when I was around 5 because of my delayed speech and again at 12 because of my behaviors I was showing at the time tho nobody really had an idea of what the hell Autism or Aspergers were because it was still new at the time so they threw out other various labels (some of which had nothing to do with what was going on with me at the time). It wasn't until I saw a documentary on Autism (Autism the musical) and hearing that kid Wyatt talk about his issues at school and going not understanding how people go into their own worlds and being lonely it was kinda like he was talking about my childhood! So slowly I have been researching Autism then it evolved into Autism vs Aspergers as I read more and more about them I asked a family member to read about it and some of the impairments he looked at me and said this is you. So at that point I knew I had to get tested.

So now that I have an official diagnoses of Autism and while I would not wish this disorder on anybody for me it does help bring things to a perspective I truly now know that maybe I'm not as messed up as the various physiologists once thought I was. I am able to get some help with GED testing, and Maybe I will be able to get some help with finding jobs because I have a definitive diagnoses So I think I finally know whom I am as a person.

Well, for me at 18, getting an official diagnosis is very important to me. I had extreme difficulty in explaining what I was experiencing and feeling growing up. I had trouble understanding why I made everybody so angry, it was all so illogical to me. I couldn't help these things, but nobody listened.

Then, once I left the house, I thought I would suddenly get better. Instead I just started to notice my symptoms even more. So of course I started trying to figure myself out. If this is what I have, then it will explain so much. I'll also be able to deal with things better now that I have a new perspective on why these things happen. I can say that since joining WP I feel a lot less "broken" and isolated. There are others.

After having had wrong labels for years and struggled with low self esteem, uncertain identity and lots of unsolved questions, it is heaven to be able to describe it all in ONE WORD.
Not bad, - not defective , - just asperger!

Skibum, glider18 and Luzhin pretty much sum up what I feel about my own recent diagnosis. Especially this: "So yeah it was important, if only to tell myself, 'This is who I am and I'm tired of trying to be who I am not.'"

I feel validated, vindicated, and a lifetime of difficulties has been explained. I "knew" for seven years that something about it "clicked" with my stuff I've never been able to explain my whole life, things I felt ashamed of and confused by, and everything else skibum said about her own experience of not knowing the "why" and having to fit in anyway.

Now I officially know the why. It has helped me. It was a bit of a shock, actually, to find that I was right; something I'd been suspecting for about seven years (had the "aha") moment seven years ago, went into massive turmoil and even denial) is now something real and a professional opinion has cemented that. It was startling even though I had expected it, and I felt a bit vulnerable for a while after. I didn't even want to come here anymore. I wanted to be alone with it. But I'm feeling more comfortable about things now.

At age 52, in practical terms it doesn't make any REAL difference now and yet inwardly it really does. I think I'd already done a lot of the work in accepting it before I got the diagnosis, but now that I have the diagnosis for sure, after the first shock (I actually asked more than once: "Are you sure?") and even some doubt, paradoxically ("I went to the wrong person, maybe....perhaps they're wrong...") despite the fact that deep inside I knew they were right, I feel more at peace with the reality. That's been my experience anyway, it's different for each person I think. I just received my full report in the mail and also a cover letter I can show that leaves out the actual details of things (which are understandably a bit personal) and I felt this kind of internal, figurative sigh of breath release from me. Because I KNOW now. Self knowledge is always better than confusion, uncertainty, and wondering "What's wrong with me?" (Something I used to wonder a LOT.)