Autism diagnosis in adulthood

mellowyellow

mellowyellow

Well-known Member
A 45 year old close family member took a test for autism recently and discovered he was on the spectrum, it answered a lot of questions for him. Here is an article about a 34 year old woman who felt immense relief to discover there was a name for how she had been feeling all her life.

While boys on the spectrum tend to become rowdy, girls on the spectrum tend to introvert and are labeled shy and quiet. That’s all I heard growing up…that I was shy and quiet. It annoyed the heck out of me.

I now feel that I am understood much better by the people in my life. It’s a struggle everyday trying to figure out this thing called life as someone who is on the spectrum, but with the support of my family and friends, I know I can become a better person. Just the other day, someone very close to me mentioned how far I have come in such a short time. I still get frustrated on little things I feel I shouldn’t do and my sensory sensitivity, but I am learning how to live as a female on the autism spectrum.

Now as my 35th birthday and my one year anniversary of my diagnosis approaches, I could not be any happier with whom I am. The past year has been has been a roller coaster, but I can finally truly say that I am comfortable in my own skin. It’s a great feeling!

https://www.autismspeaks.org/life-spectrum/my-story-being-diagnosed-autism-adult
 

I have seen people that have gone their entire lives with Tourette Syndrome and not been diagnosed until their 30s. So this doesn't surprise me. Thanks for sharing.
 
Yes, thanks for sharing. Although I've never been tested--tried to be but couldn't--I think I might be on the Spectrum (maybe Aspergers?). One thing I've noticed and I've seen others mention online, that the support for this is most often geared to kids on the Spectrum; adults on the Spectrum are left to fend for themselves. That's certainly true in my neck of the woods; the nearest face-to-face support group I could find is a 2-hour drive away. It's understandable I guess since the kids have more of their lives ahead of them and it's easier to teach coping skills or whatever might be teachable the younger someone is, but it'd be nice to have some support. (Yeah, I've looked for online support for it for adults; couldn't find anything, just for kids or parents of kids on the Spectrum.)
 

MarciKS said:
Most of the support is for children. Same with the Tourette's. Once you're adult you're no longer priority. That's the sad thing.
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I know, right? I saw a news story on a poor, 40sh guy who suffered so badly from Tourette's that he was housebound (constant jerking of his head so bad he had to wear a neck brace) and although he was on disability since he couldn't work, I remember how lonely he seemed. So it's too bad whenever you feel like to have to walk alone.
 
officerripley said:
I know, right? I saw a news story on a poor, 40sh guy who suffered so badly from Tourette's that he was housebound (constant jerking of his head so bad he had to wear a neck brace) and although he was on disability since he couldn't work, I remember how lonely he seemed. So it's too bad whenever you feel like to have to walk alone.
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I've been doing it my whole life. I could do it in my sleep. I've had Tourette's since age 9. I work with a kid whose in his 20s and has high spectrum autism.
 
MarciKS said:
I have seen people that have gone their entire lives with Tourette Syndrome and not been diagnosed until their 30s. So this doesn't surprise me. Thanks for sharing.
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That's strange. I have known 4 people with Tourette's (rather mild cases) & I don't see how any professional wouldn't recognize it.
 
Although I am not an expert on autism I think my family member would be considered 'high functioning' on the spectrum. He's quite successful in his working life, but just didn't seem to fit in.
 

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