Hi. Old newb here.

[Ed#]

Hi, folks. I'm Ed, a 61-year-old retired fellow. I live with my dog in a modest abode.

I've suspected for over a decade that I was on the spectrum, but whenever I checked professional descriptions, I didn't see myself in them. It's only within the past week that I've realized I'm probably Aspergers. I know that information on Youtube can be variable, but I've found the channel, Autism from the Inside, very helpful. At this point, I'm 90% convinced that I fit the syndrome. I'm still sorting it out, though -- binge-watching videos, reading comments, etc. I've got Tony Attwood's book on the way.

Why do I think I fit the category? I could go on for pages, but that would bore you. I'll just list a few of the main things:

- always being different, the odd man out, on the periphery of groups
- looking fine/okay on the outside but struggling inside, like a duck on the water -- gliding smoothly on the surface but paddling madly underneath
- how draining social situations can be; what comes naturally to others takes a lot of work for me
- it's hard to make friends; I've always been kind of isolated; I love solitude, and I'm kind of a loner, but sometimes I get lonely
- getting obsessed with particular subjects (in my case, psychology, religion, spirituality, science, parapsychology, and other stuff)
- having a hard time finding words; being slow to put sentences together

It's not all about the downside, though. I also resonate to the descriptions of the positive qualities:

- Honest, direct
- Focused, diligent
- Independent and unique thinker
- Good knowledge in areas of interest
- Good sense of humor (I think so, anyhow, lol)

That's enough for an intro. Thank you for making this forum available. I expect that I'll learn a thing or two and meet some interesting people.

 

[Nitro]

 

[tree]

 

[Forest Cat]

Hello

 

[Kisa the tea]

Hello and welcome! I hope you'll enjoy the time you spend on here!

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

Hi, folks. I'm Ed, a 61-year-old retired fellow. I live with my dog in a modest abode.

I've suspected for over a decade that I was on the spectrum, but whenever I checked professional descriptions, I didn't see myself in them. It's only within the past week that I've realized I'm probably Aspergers. I know that information on Youtube can be variable, but I've found the channel, Autism from the Inside, very helpful. At this point, I'm 90% convinced that I fit the syndrome. I'm still sorting it out, though -- binge-watching videos, reading comments, etc. I've got Tony Attwood's book on the way.

Why do I think I fit the category? I could go on for pages, but that would bore you. I'll just list a few of the main things:

- always being different, the odd man out, on the periphery of groups
- looking fine/okay on the outside but struggling inside, like a duck on the water -- gliding smoothly on the surface but paddling madly underneath
- how draining social situations can be; what comes naturally to others takes a lot of work for me
- it's hard to make friends; I've always been kind of isolated; I love solitude, and I'm kind of a loner, but sometimes I get lonely
- getting obsessed with particular subjects (in my case, psychology, religion, spirituality, science, parapsychology, and other stuff)
- having a hard time finding words; being slow to put sentences together

It's not all about the downside, though. I also resonate to the descriptions of the positive qualities:

- Honest, direct
- Focused, diligent
- Independent and unique thinker
- Good knowledge in areas of interest
- Good sense of humor (I think so, anyhow, lol)

That's enough for an intro. Thank you for making this forum available. I expect that I'll learn a thing or two and meet some interesting people.

Your not that old, you should like it here a lot in common with many others here.

 

[Outdated]

Hi and welcome, I'm only 3 brief summers behind you.

 

[WhitewaterWoman]

Welcome

 

[Ed#]

Cool. Thanks for the welcome, everybody.

 

[Slightly]

But the most important question - what kind of dog?!

 

[Ed#]

But the most important question - what kind of dog?!

Ah, I see your avatar. I got my dog from the shelter, so I'm not 100% sure, but as far as I can tell, he's a mix between a miniature border collie and a papillon. He's about 25 pounds.

I love dogs. Wouldn't want to live without one.

 

[Tom]

Ah, I see your avatar. I got my dog from the shelter, so I'm not 100% sure, but as far as I can tell, he's a mix between a miniature border collie and a papillon. He's about 25 pounds.

I love dogs. Wouldn't want to live without one.

Great looking dog! We have 4 Chihuahuas.

You seem to fit the spectrum, but you know we can just make a guess about it. A lot of us here are only Self Diagnosed btw. I too need time to frame a good response, find the right words, etc.

 

[SusanLR]

Welcome aboard.
That's a good intro and helps to know your personality better.
I think you'll like it here and get to know others.
I'm 65, and there a quite a few of us in that range here.

 

[Nervous Rex]

Welcome, @Ed#. I hope you find this forum as welcoming and helpful as I have.

It's quite a singular experience for those of us who find out later in life. I hope knowing or finding out brings you some clarity and relief. At the very least, it brought you here!

 

[Alexej]

HI and welcome @Ed#

Glad to have you among us. Do pull up a chair, and get to know us through the posts.

Jump in when you feel you have something to say

 

[Ed#]

I'm 65, and there a quite a few of us in that range here.

That's good. I've looked at other forums (e.g., Reddit), and they seem to be mostly college-aged people. Which is fine, of course -- I like young people. But I like a mix, and it's good to know there are some other 50+ type folks here.

 

[VictorR]

Welcome! We definitely have a pretty varied group here with lots of different experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives.

 

[Ed#]

Woops, well I just determined that, in fact, I am not on the spectrum. I have spent the past couple of weeks knee-deep in material on autism and Aspergers. Although I initially thought many of the symptoms and traits fit me, I have come to realize that I over-diagnosed myself. As I gained greater understanding of how autism actually manifests -- as opposed to general labels like "socially awkward" or "prefers to be alone" -- I realized that I am not autistic.

Almost all of the symptoms/traits I had identified as fitting me are explained better as introversion, social anxiety, or high sensitivity. These are traits I've known I've had for a long time. At first, I thought I'd discovered something else about myself -- something beyond introversion, etc. -- but the more I dug into the autism literature, the more I saw that it just did not fit.

So, I guess I'm not autistic after all. I like Occam's Razor: don't multiply diagnoses unnecessarily. I have enough to deal with already, lol. I have learned a heck of a lot over the past several weeks -- I do share the tendency to get obsessively interested in a subject, and autism has been that subject lately. Hopefully, that will make me more knowledgeable and sensitive when I meet people on the spectrum or talk about the subject in the future.

Thank you all for the warm welcome, but I think I'll be moving on. Take care.

 

[Ed#]

A professional told you you aren't autistic?

No, I self-diagnosed and then, after learning more, un-diagnosed myself. In retrospect, I can see that my self-diagnosis was based on a superficial understanding of autism. As I learned more, I realized that the label just didn't fit.

You don't need to be autistic to post here btw, you can just put "not autistic" in your profile.

Thanks. I'll think about that. It's an interesting group for sure, and I do have some traits in common.

 

[Kisa the tea]

It's your decision but you're more than welcome to stay here. There are other non autistic people on this forum and it's not an exclusive club.