JPR Mental Health Support Group

[alcinaDonor Total Posts: 524 @alcina]

Any females here on the autism spectrum?

After decades of struggling to “be normal,” I’ve recently been diagnosed as being a high-functioning masking autistic. I was tentatively diagnosed in grade 2, but the diagnosis was overruled because the head psychologist believed autism affected only males. Instead, they decided I was gifted and bored, and they advanced me a grade, which just did wonders for my social life (not). Later in college, I raised the question of females with autism in my developmental psych class and added that I’d been tentatively diagnosed as such in childhood. The instructor repeated the claim that girls don’t develop autism, and then added her own assessment: “You’re just weird.” I dropped the class.

Anyway, getting confirmation has caused a fairly major shift in the way I think about myself, others, and the world. I’ve lurked in a few support groups but — no surprise — I haven’t chimed in because, well, those people are unfamiliar! 😉  So I thought I’d ask here, in case anyone would be willing to share some experiences.

Thanks for reading. 🙂

"I believe man suffers from an appalling ignorance of his own nature." -William Golding, Lord of the Flies

[whispersMember Total Posts: 411 @whispers]

Autism is strong in my family

My daughter and I have been diagnosed and my youngest son, as well.  Nephews and niece and her daughter, my oldest son is on the spectrum as well.

[alcinaDonor Total Posts: 524 @alcina]

Thanks for replying, @whispers

I’m certain one of my sisters is also autistic, even moreso than I. But she said she had no interest in being “labeled.” She seems to forget that we’d already been labeled most of our lives, just not with formal/medical labels. I suspect my deceased sister was also on the spectrum, as well as one brother. Heck, probably even my mom. She was diagnosed bipolar in her day; but reading up on the condition in females, I’m now inclined to think autism. She, too, was highly intelligent and good at “passing for normal.” In fact, she’s the main one who stressed to me the importance of that skill.

So did getting diagnosed change anything for you? Right now, since the diagnosis, I’ve been obsessively reexamining significant (mostly negative) events in my past and reevaluating them in terms of autism. Ie, I wasn’t crazy or stupid or weird…I was just me. 🙂

"I believe man suffers from an appalling ignorance of his own nature." -William Golding, Lord of the Flies

[Pam2Donor Total Posts: 5,086 @pam2]

I took an online test once

..that said I had borderline Asperger’s. Does that count? 🙂 Probably not. I might just be an introvert who dislikes a lot of people. 🙂 I’m glad you are feeling better about yourself.

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