I've shared a little bit of my story before. Some people have asked me to write about how my diagnosis of High Functioning Autism, aka Asperger's came about; so here we go.

Just a few months before being diagnosed, my Mother passed away. I was struggling with depression and my wife accompanied me to our family doctor. I was referred to a Psychologist for help with grieving. After a few secessions, I decided to write down a list of traits that I thought were a bit eccentric. I told him that I'm uncomfortable with social situations, I don't like to be touched, certain textures make me uneasy, hypersensitive to senses, difficulty understanding emotions... he asked me to take a facial recognition test. I bombed it. I was shocked! Next, I answered a series of questions that mapped my answers on a chart. One side of the chart said Neurotypical and the other said Asperger's. My line was heavily on the Asperger's side.

After a few more secessions, he officially diagnosed me with Asperger's. I remember leaning back on the couch and the confusion that I'd become accustomed to began to give way to answers. For the first time, things weren't so cloudy and started to make sense. I began to embrace it. After all, there are some pretty recognizable people who have been thought to have had Asperger's; such as Dan Aykroyd, George Washington, Henry Ford, Howard Hughes, Albert Einstein, Mark Twain, Bob Dylan, Robin Williams... a pretty well rounded group. While I've certainly have my fair share of meltdowns, Autism has actually helped in some cases. If you're just diagnosed, it's not the end of the world. You haven't changed at all!

Resources for Adults are extremely limited especially considering 1 in 68 people are affected. The Temple Grandin School in Boulder, Colorado has been one of the best places that I've found to learn more about Asperger's. Youtube is another place I go when I want to find more of our people. Also, believe it or not, writing about it helps, too! Hope to hear from you soon!

Scott Gudmundson
Fort Collins, CO