Welcome Olivia,
It does seem like that there are still a lot of misunderstanding about ASD out there, so it's not too surprising that you weren't aware about all aspects of it before. It was kind of the same way for me, never even considered it or researched it because it didn't seem super severe until finally prompted to do so by psychologist. Like Wolf said, it can affect everyone in a different way. I'm glad that you have finally been able to make more sense of your life, hope the forum can be a valuable resource!
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After years of self-imposed exile. I am now making an effort to talk to people. So anyone feel free to PM me on any subject, I would love to try to interact with people more!