Hey everybody,
Longtime lurker here, but I recently got an official diagnosis and I thought it was time to introduce myself. I've been working up to the diagnosis for three years, but now that it's finally happened, I don't know what to say.
I was labelled as "gifted" at a young age, and so many of my quirks were glossed over in light of my high academic achievements. I was put with a group of other "gifted" kids, several of whom, in retrospect, demonstrated autistic traits as well. Maybe that's why I didn't stand out so much. I also learned to mask my own problems and behaviors, thinking that this would make things easier for my mother, who struggled to support three children on a teacher's salary after my father died. Major problems didn't manifest until college, when I could no longer coast through classes on my good memory alone, and when I no longer had ND friends I could relate to.
I later learned that I had actually been evaluated at a young age due to a language delay, but the doctor said I'd grow out of it and sent me on my way.
But I made it through college (if only barely), and things have gotten much better over the past few years. My interests include weightlifting, reading, anime, and laughing at my own jokes. Nice to officially meet you!