Introduction thread!

[unpeaceofBea]

Hello! I’m 22 years old and I have a strong strong suspicion I may be somewhere on the spectrum, but I have yet to pursue professional confirmation!

A friend told me two years ago that they thought I was on the spectrum and initially I thought it was a ridiculous notion, but the more I learn about it, the more it seems like it makes sense. It’s like, every day after I became aware of my neurodivergency, I keep finding new evidence to support my suspitions.

Despite not having a formal diagnosis, I have found this awareness quite freeing, as it has allowed me to accept the different ways in which I perceive and externalise and interact with the world around me! It has allowed me to be kind to myself and let myself stim more or less freely when I want and need to.

Hoping to learn more and gather some insight from other people’s experiences on this forum!

 

[Aspychata]

Welcome to the forum. It's refreshing to read of your acceptance of self and of stims.

 

[tree]

 

[VictorR]

Welcome!

 

[Thinx]

Hi and welcome. It's great that you came across autism and are recognising it in yourself, I think that helps us to cope and find strategies that work for us, instead of feeling puzzled or trying to be neurotypical. It's good that you are here too!

 

[unpeaceofBea]

Hi and welcome. It's great that you came across autism and are recognising it in yourself, I think that helps us to cope and find strategies that work for us, instead of feeling puzzled or trying to be neurotypical. It's good that you are here too!

Yes! Before considering myself to be on the spectrum, I lived so perplexed all the time becaause of neurotypical people. I was a very lonely child because I never felt like I could connect with my peers, and changing the perspective by seeing myself within the spectrum does give a lot of sense to what was meaningless perplexity before.

I am stillvery confused on the daily, but at least now I have more context as to why I’m so confused by the things that seem mundane to other people!!

Thank you for your warm welcome!

 

[autism-and-autotune]

Hello! I’m 22 years old and I have a strong strong suspicion I may be somewhere on the spectrum, but I have yet to pursue professional confirmation!

A friend told me two years ago that they thought I was on the spectrum and initially I thought it was a ridiculous notion, but the more I learn about it, the more it seems like it makes sense. It’s like, every day after I became aware of my neurodivergency, I keep finding new evidence to support my suspitions.

Despite not having a formal diagnosis, I have found this awareness quite freeing, as it has allowed me to accept the different ways in which I perceive and externalise and interact with the world around me! It has allowed me to be kind to myself and let myself stim more or less freely when I want and need to.

Hoping to learn more and gather some insight from other people’s experiences on this forum!

Welcome! I wish I had the self-knowledge that you currently have when I was your age (about a decade ago). Oddly enough I've been writing about most of my life for most of my life, but...I've only been recently diagnosed and have spent a lot of time reflecting on how autism has shaped me.

 

[autism-and-autotune]

Welcome to the forum. It's refreshing to read of your acceptance of self and of stims.

It's interesting for me to reflect that, long before I knew I had autism, one of my stims was 'playing' the keyboard either on my leg while sitting, or something just...in the air. The first time I remember writing about it in my journals was..maybe 2012?

 

[Alexej]

Hi @unpeaceofBea

Welcome to the Forums.