Could do better?

I've just been outside for a fag and carried on 'chewing the cud' as it were. The mental health people warned me it would take me a while to process the contents of my report, and again they are probably right. I will try and be as precise as possible, but the general cacophony has been augmented by the sound of a baby's crying. Very distracting.
I am struck by the psychologist's observations on my behavior during the interview. He noticed things I wasn't even aware of, and still can't remember doing. He commented on how I reacted to ambient noises. He stated that I made fists when describing how I am affected by a gloomy sky. He also stated that I started to cry when I talked in detail about what I experienced in my last job.
He also commented on my high intelligence and high intellect. Of course I've always known I've had these, but I've very often had people around me saying I am stupid or mad. It's hard to believe in oneself when everything one hears is negative. I'm starting to take ownership of my own abilities, so that I feel they are really mine and not just warped, strange ideas in my own head. The psychologist noted that I'd used these to deal 'to an extent' with all the difficulties I've had to face.
He discussed how I might behave in a number of real-life situations, and his speculations were totally accurate.
He went on to say it is 'crucial' that any psychological help I receive should be delivered by someone with a knowledge of autism.
Thank you, thank you!!!! At last someone has listened to me. Yes, listened. And the person who did the listening understood what he had heard. Being overlooked, ignored and misunderstood are recurrent themes in the story of my life.
Am I the failure I have gone through life thinking that I am? Well if you look at my lack of career, my general state of distress and my financial situation, you might well describe me as a failure. However if you were to look at the things I've had to cope with and to overcome, I have done remarkably well.