Getting diagnosed as autistic later in life is a profound transformative process to be celebrated. One man explains what an ASD diagnosis meant to him.
Discovering I’m Autistic at a late time in my life was a transformation I needed.
It was like unlocking the door to an answer I have been searching for all my life.
The diagnosis was the beginning of another journey in my life. It finally made everything make sense.
It was my first step to self-discovery and it satisfied my long-term curiosity.
I always knew there had to be a logical explanation behind my existence. I knew I was different from most people and I have always wondered why.
All my life, I have always felt left out. I was always the odd one in every gathering.
I process information differently and I have a really hard time trying to understand people the same way they find it very difficult to understand me.
I always had that weird feeling where I’m sure there is something wrong with me, but I can’t exactly pinpoint what it is or — there is something wrong with every other person on the planet and I just happen to be different.
I found social gatherings very difficult and energy-consuming. I would rather be alone, soaked in my headspace trying to figure out new things.
I had no idea why everyone wants to party hard because I actually don’t see any fun in it.
I see loud people as weird and I wondered where they got their energy from.
I had also wondered why my younger ones [siblings] could drive easily and I have been struggling with it for a very long time.
I never tried to fit in because I have always known I’m different; plus, I don’t even have the energy to make that much effort. I just needed to know why.
I lived 28 years of my life feeling disconnected from the world.
I’m living a very happy life currently and I have a wife and kids who love me unconditionally.
I’m doing just fine. and if there is anything I’m grateful for to date, it’s the diagnosis.
Span Chen is a martial arts enthusiast and founder of The Karate Blog.
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