Don't Be Shy To Introduce Yourself

[Crossbreed]

Hello & welcome, @rarie!

 

[AuAL]

Hi, I'm Rarie.
I was officially diagnosed a few months ago at 22, and live in Sydney, Australia, hope to get to know a few of you guys and maybe find some relatable experiences. Nice to meet you.

Hi Rarie. Brisbane here, but I discovered my autism at age 64, so not sure how relatable… Anyway, g’day mate!

 

[AndyFBlues]

Hi Rarie,
Welcome to the forum!

 

[Xinyta]

Hi, I'm Rarie.
I was officially diagnosed a few months ago at 22, and live in Sydney, Australia, hope to get to know a few of you guys and maybe find some relatable experiences. Nice to meet you.

Only a few of us? Ha. I get what you actually mean.

Welcome, @rarie. Glad to have you with us and hopefully you'll end up feeling at home here. We are happy to help with any questions you have and look forward to learning from you too.

 

[Outdated]

Hi Rarie, welcome to the forum. There's a few Aussies in here, I'm in Adelaide.

 

[AutistAcolyte]

I'm not exactly new, but i've been inactive for a while because i forgot my login info.

But i'm back now

 

[Crossbreed]

Hi, again.

 

[Jenx]

in reply to sympathy portsmouth the home of Nelson and the victory ,where dday landings were planned a great maritime city full fo history.

Heyyy my Son was in the navy based out of Portsmouth, lovely city

 

[jny]

Hello, all! I am new here. I'm diagnosed ADHD, seeking an autism diagnosis as well. My therapist asked me today what the point of a diagnosis would be for me, what would change and I was stumped. I said mostly that it would function as a puzzle piece for me but also, I want to be able to get accommodations if need be. What did a diagnosis do for you all? Please let me know!

Anywho, I am 31 years old. Female. Living on the east coast of the USA. Just wanting to feel less lonely I guess. I have very few close friends and don't get me wrong, I love spending time alone, *and* I do get lonely. I wish that I had more friends that shared my special interests. Maybe I will make friends here?

 

[Xinyta]

Welcome, @jny

It's not a uncommon thing for alot of us on the spectrum to not have many friends. Socail interaction is a hard game to play, when you are unaware of the unspoken rules and etiquette. But yeah. Fairly lonely soul here myself. But I've lived with it for some time. While I live with my Uncle. I still feel alone in alot of ways. Maybe it's just how I look at things. You get use to it eventually.

Either way. You are most definitely amongst friends here. If there is anything you need help with. Don't be afraid to ask.

 

[jny]

Welcome, @jny

It's not a uncommon thing for alot of us on the spectrum to not have many friends. Socail interaction is a hard game to play, when you are unaware of the unspoken rules and etiquette. But yeah. Fairly lonely soul here myself. But I've lived with it for some time. While I live with my Uncle. I still feel alone in alot of ways. Maybe it's just how I look at things. You get use to it eventually.

Either way. You are most definitely amongst friends here. If there is anything you need help with. Don't be afraid to ask.

It's funny because I feel like to some degree, I understand the rules, but what I can't figure out is what to SAY! When I know what I want to say, I feel fine. Sometimes I am even funny off the cuff. But it takes me, like, a while to process what was said and to find an appropriate response. That is the most frustrating thing. It's like, searching, searching, searching in my brain and by the time i've found what I want to say, the moment is gone. Or sometimes I say the wrong thing. Ugh! But anyway, it's nice to have the community here. Thanks for the warm welcome

 

[Nervous Rex]

It's funny because I feel like to some degree, I understand the rules, but what I can't figure out is what to SAY! When I know what I want to say, I feel fine. Sometimes I am even funny off the cuff. But it takes me, like, a while to process what was said and to find an appropriate response. That is the most frustrating thing. It's like, searching, searching, searching in my brain and by the time i've found what I want to say, the moment is gone. Or sometimes I say the wrong thing. Ugh! But anyway, it's nice to have the community here. Thanks for the warm welcome

Welcome, @jny! I hope you find this forum as welcoming and helpful as I have.

Re: conversations, I made this to show what goes through my head in social situations. It's meant to look funny, but it's also 100% true.

 

[AndyFBlues]

Welcome @jny

I have the same problem with not knowing what to say during conversations. It is often that once I've had time to reflect, I realize what I should have said. (doh) I marvel when I see people who always seem to interact with other effectively.

I wish you the best in finding the kind of close friends that you are looking for. Hang in there.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

When I was in high school, two of my brothers dominated, Reach for the top A precursor to Jeopardy, Alex Trebek, was the host One day the team was practicing some one was sick They Looked for a substitute, I just happened to be walking by I was quickly grabbed joined the practice each question I Knew answer but do to my slow hard drive could not hit the buzzer quick enough, Sent back to hall. Felt like an idiot. deeply embarrassed. fifty years later I found out my cousin's kid was on his schools team and that they had won the championships. Life when One brother is a genius and the other a Mensa member. Good thing we moved before a fourth brother had a chance to join the team.

 

[Xinyta]

It's funny because I feel like to some degree, I understand the rules, but what I can't figure out is what to SAY! When I know what I want to say, I feel fine. Sometimes I am even funny off the cuff. But it takes me, like, a while to process what was said and to find an appropriate response. That is the most frustrating thing. It's like, searching, searching, searching in my brain and by the time i've found what I want to say, the moment is gone. Or sometimes I say the wrong thing. Ugh! But anyway, it's nice to have the community here. Thanks for the warm welcome

I find talking about things damn near impossible. I suck at small talk on days that I significantly struggle. Which is rather often. So of it is misunderstanding socail situations. But alot of it is a lack of focus.

Due to that. I really have issues processing much of anything. Especially since I overload myself.

Re: conversations, I made this to show what goes through my head in social situations. It's meant to look funny, but it's also 100% true.

View attachment 140602

That's elaborate. Or at least farther than my thoughts go. I'm so apprehensive to say anything, that I just outright deny myself the chance to do so. Then there are times I blurt something out in panic and feel worse about myself afterward.

 

[Jonn]

Hello, all! I am new here. I'm diagnosed ADHD, seeking an autism diagnosis as well. My therapist asked me today what the point of a diagnosis would be for me, what would change and I was stumped. I said mostly that it would function as a puzzle piece for me but also, I want to be able to get accommodations if need be. What did a diagnosis do for you all? Please let me know!

You have every right to know if you are on the spectrum.
"The Truth shall set you free."
It gives insight into who you are, and allows you to do follow-up research giving you more ways of coping with any autism-related difficulties you may have.

Anywho, I am 31 years old. Female. Living on the east coast of the USA. Just wanting to feel less lonely I guess. I have very few close friends and don't get me wrong, I love spending time alone, *and* I do get lonely. I wish that I had more friends that shared my special interests. Maybe I will make friends here?

That sounds pretty autistic to me.

 

[Nervous Rex]

My therapist asked me today what the point of a diagnosis would be for me, what would change and I was stumped. I said mostly that it would function as a puzzle piece for me but also, I want to be able to get accommodations if need be. What did a diagnosis do for you all? Please let me know!

For me a diagnosis was liberating! It meant that I didn't have to try to function like everyone else, because I truly am different. One trite example is sleep. So many of my coworkers seem to get by fine if they don't get enough sleep - they just have some coffee and get to work. I absolutely fall apart if I don't get enough sleep. But because that's what everyone else can do, I thought I had to be able to do it, or I was falling short somehow.

Being diagnosed showed me that my brain really is different and I shouldn't expect it to work like everyone else's. I usually say that I was "reading the wrong owner's manual." Since then, I have prioritized sleep more and it's made a world of difference for me.

I've found a lot of other differences and now instead of trying to hide them so I "look normal", I work with them. I try to find what works for me, not what works for everyone else.

 

[Jonn]

Being diagnosed showed me that my brain really is different and I shouldn't expect it to work like everyone else's. I usually say that I was "reading the wrong owner's manual."

Exactly...

And:

NTs shouldn't judge NDs on a personal level.
(And NDs shouldn't judge NTs.)

We have different parameter to live within.