I was officially diagnosed last week and have started the process of telling people.  My wife was not surprised, but the other three people have been.  My college adviser's first words were, "But this is based on self-reports, right?"  My mom, who has known for two and a half months that I was seeking an evaluation, still objects to the possibility.  And now today, seeing my regular doctor, he didn't believe it either, even after reading the four-page evaluation.

I find it frustrating that I've only told four people and three out of the four tell me that either I'm wrong, the psychologist is wrong, or both.  When I read the evaluation, I realize that some things would come as a surprise.  My adviser doesn't know about my academic difficulties, particularly in completing assignments, because she's looking at my near-4.0 GPA.  My mom doesn't know about my social difficulties because all she remembers is me having friends, not the fact that she used to force me into social situations on a daily basis.  And my doctor... well, forget him, he's been way off twice in the past and... well, no need for a tangent.  I don't like him.

I'm almost feeling like I need to be more impaired to "prove" to them I have AS.  And that's the thing - my evaluation only uses the word moderate.  Moderate social difficulties.  Moderate difficulties in the use and understanding of non-verbal cues.  Moderate.  Moderate.  Moderate.

I put on a really good "face."  I try to hide my AS characteristics.  Have I hidden them so well that people refuse to believe otherwise?  What do I have to do now... act more impaired?  I'm fine with acting NT - to an extent - if it means that I won't get bothered.  That's the very reason I do many of the things I do in the first place - to not be bothered.  But I'm not about to act more impaired simply to prove something to people.