Does A Diagnosis Change Anything?

Hello everyone,

I had an interesting conversation with Claire that I think would be good to talk about. You see, Claire has a ADHD diagnosis, but since the first day I met her, I've been fairly sure that she's also on the spectrum. While walking we we're talking about a few different things and the subject moved over to what it was like to have my autism diagnosis.

The reason she asked was the doctors are looking into if she belongs on the spectrum. One question that made me thing before I answered was does it make a difference. I stopped and thought about that. Does having an autism diagnosis actually make any difference. Now my answer wasn't simple at all, I said "well, no and yes". I chose the order of my words carefully. Treatment wise, it doesn't make much of a difference. There no medication for autism.  But for me, just knowing that I'm not the only one helps. Knowing that when I snap, and when I can't understand the unspoken social rules, there's a reason for that. I find closure in the diagnosis. Don't get me wrong, I've blamed my autism for many things, having autism got to me and and I've been upset over it. I've asked the "why me" type of questions. Now I realise it's gotta be someone, so why not me. There's no reason as to why someone else should have autism and not me. Honestly, it has taken a while for me to get to this point but I'm happy I do have autism. It has helped to shape me into the loving, kind, understanding person that I am today. I am an individual and I love the fact that I don't feel the need to follow any crowds.

Thanks for reading,

Spec.