ARMartin251082
New Member
Hey all!
My name is Austin and I have begun the official diagnosis process here in the UK. I'm still waiting for my assessment appointment, but have gone through a lot of pre-screening, screening, and have informed myself via copious amounts of literature (both scientific and anecdotal), statistics/demographics, YouTube content, medical studies, and much, much more.
Although I am not yet formally diagnosed, I am very certain that I will be, and the process to understanding this has been life changing! Since beginning to understand that my lived experience IS - in fact - not "what everyone else is going through," and that my struggles have a reason and a name, the wet, thick, wool blanket of shame and guilt that I have carried around for all of my life has been lifted.
Autism as a general topic seems to have become my most recent special interest, and I have dedicated easily over 1,000 hours over the last two-and-a-half months to researching and better understanding such. The only thing that is missing from my research is the input of other people on the autistic spectrum; hence, my introduction. My other special interests include German language/literature, although I have yet to parse out which of my old, abandoned interests have yet to be resurrected. I've heard that's what happens when people first realise their autism status.
I am 29, an American, happily married to my amazing husband, and enjoy being in nature (hiking, walking, swimming, running; wherever other people are not), reading (anything, although often German literature of the 19th and 20th century), and talking about interesting topics (not football, goddamn it!) with interesting people.
But seriously, why do football people talk about football everywhere, even weddings, funerals, christenings, and wakes? Couldn't we talk about Himalayan funerary practices or the harms of Victorian mourning garb instead? Ancient human sacrificial practice and its impact on modern society and in abrahamic religions?
No...? Okay.
I'm also a Sagittarius. I don't know what that means, but a lot of people have started asking recently.
I was also diagnosed as having Bipolar II Disorder, although this is being re-evaluated as I am as certain as a layman can be that it was a misdiagnosis. Time will tell.
My name is Austin and I have begun the official diagnosis process here in the UK. I'm still waiting for my assessment appointment, but have gone through a lot of pre-screening, screening, and have informed myself via copious amounts of literature (both scientific and anecdotal), statistics/demographics, YouTube content, medical studies, and much, much more.
Although I am not yet formally diagnosed, I am very certain that I will be, and the process to understanding this has been life changing! Since beginning to understand that my lived experience IS - in fact - not "what everyone else is going through," and that my struggles have a reason and a name, the wet, thick, wool blanket of shame and guilt that I have carried around for all of my life has been lifted.
Autism as a general topic seems to have become my most recent special interest, and I have dedicated easily over 1,000 hours over the last two-and-a-half months to researching and better understanding such. The only thing that is missing from my research is the input of other people on the autistic spectrum; hence, my introduction. My other special interests include German language/literature, although I have yet to parse out which of my old, abandoned interests have yet to be resurrected. I've heard that's what happens when people first realise their autism status.
I am 29, an American, happily married to my amazing husband, and enjoy being in nature (hiking, walking, swimming, running; wherever other people are not), reading (anything, although often German literature of the 19th and 20th century), and talking about interesting topics (not football, goddamn it!) with interesting people.
But seriously, why do football people talk about football everywhere, even weddings, funerals, christenings, and wakes? Couldn't we talk about Himalayan funerary practices or the harms of Victorian mourning garb instead? Ancient human sacrificial practice and its impact on modern society and in abrahamic religions?
No...? Okay.
I'm also a Sagittarius. I don't know what that means, but a lot of people have started asking recently.
I was also diagnosed as having Bipolar II Disorder, although this is being re-evaluated as I am as certain as a layman can be that it was a misdiagnosis. Time will tell.
No no... of course it was much more complicated than that. But I will tell you, it's a bit of a shame when British people bring up topics like that because they are often used to try and make Americans feel stupid for not realising something that most of us - naturally - already know. 
Thank you for responding!
