Welcome
@Annaa.
This forum has helped me immensely. I spent some 52 years of my life wondering why I was always on the periphery, having a string of acquaintances, but not friends. Why is it that I never could understand people, their emotions, politics? Why was it that I was being passed over for promotions because of how I "deal with people",...despite being constantly called the "smartest" and the "best"? I never understood that even though I had some autistic symptoms,...I didn't act like an autistic,...or so I thought,...I wasn't like those poor kids rocking in the corner trying to shut out the world,...I didn't act like Dustin Hoffman's "Rainman" character. In retrospect,...I knew next to nothing about autism,...until I was diagnosed. Then, it has been two years of self-discovery,...and yes,...according to my test scores,...I am strongly autistic, of the ASD-1/Asperger's variant.
The point being, sometimes you think you know yourself,...but also having a lifetime of questions,...and then at some point, you seek some professional help and a whole new perspective opens up to you. I don't like or dislike being autistic,...there are pros and cons,...I am just different than my neurotypical peers. I am OK with it, they are OK with it. Now, I have perspective and context that I didn't have before. I am much more self-aware,...it's been therapeutic in a way. With the help of others here on the forums, I learn new things almost every day.
This is a really cool bunch of people and I hope you stick around and participate.