[DuckyDuck]

I went to have a phycholgical exam last week and it appears I have autism or something on the spectrum. However I have to have more
extensive testing before they can diagnose it for sure. I will be having that done soon, but they did confirm that I have enough things going on to call it autism. Still need to know for sure though. I am 46.

[sane1logic1]

Hello Duck!
I am in my 50s (and male) and was in my 40s when to my delight I found out I have a blended form of autism-Asperger's Syndrome. I have been "high functioning" in some ways all my life and low functioning in others.
This discovery has opened big doors for my self-acceptance and self-awareness and discovering successful adaptations.
I have found the writings of Donna Williams and Wendy Lawson very inspiring (among others).
I truly welcome you!

[Callista]

Hehe, I see that all the time. I thought I was old being diagnosed at 20!

The thing is, we didn't really know a lot about autism when you guys were kids (and, for that matter, precious little when I was a kid; I'm 27 now.) Lots of diagnoses got missed; they had very narrow criteria for a long while. Nowadays, they've expanded the criteria because they realized they had been arbitrarily narrow; they're including people who learned to speak on time (the Asperger's type) and they're re-evaluating people who also have some other diagnosis. I read one study about institutions for mentally retarded individuals, in Texas I think, who were re-evaluated--and quite a few were found to have autism instead of, or in addition to, the MR they were already known to have; all of them missed diagnosis. So that's really common for all kinds of autism; only the really, really obvious, stereotypical cases got diagnosed when people in their forties today were kids. If you were off the stereotype for even the most trivial of reasons (I, for example, am a girl)... you didn't get a diagnosis, and nowadays doctors are scrambling to catch up, to try to figure out what's autism and what isn't after the person's spent a lifetime trying to learn coping strategies.

[DuckyDuck]

Thanks. I hope this diagnosis explains alot for me and my family as well.

[sane1logic1]

I hope your family will be as accepting as you are, and as keen to adapt.

[hatteras duck]

I had informal diagnosis of Asperger's at 42. After spending most of my childhood zombied out on Ritalin for being "hyperactive", the dx came as relief. I could finally tie pieces of me together and learn to accept me for who I am. And I could finally allow me to be. I took the GADS scale - and was told I "meet the diagnostic criteria". What a revelation... I belonged somewhere.

I found Claire Sansbury's book "The Martian in the Playground" extremely useful. Claire has Asperger's and freely speaks about her childhood, along with others comments. I could have written a lot of the book!

[DuckyDuck]

Yeah its official high functioning autism. Yes I am relieved to know so I can move forward. Seems that Turner Syndrome is why I am autistic.
I have some research to do. But I do feel a sense of relief just knowing.
Thanks for all the good advice.