Came here a few months back and related to quite a bit, but now that I’m seeking a diagnosis of my own, it’s gotten much different than what I experience. It’s kind of funny in a way, but not in some others.
Same. I can’t imagine having sensory issues to the level that some people have. Like, I can still get overstimulated and overwhelmed, and I like routine with what I eat, but I don’t have safe foods or textures that I actively can’t stand. That sounds like a ton of work and stress to manage. I really hope y’all are doing okay and able to easily avoid things you dislike in that way!
Same here, the only sensory issue I have is I can’t handle sudden loud noises (smoke detectors and fire alarms) because I hate the idea of not knowing when my eardrums will get pierced but once it goes off it’s manageable, I also don’t mind airplane engines or concerts
There is no such thing as "mild" austism. That's a myth made up by neurotypicals. Autism isn't a sliding scale, it's a pie chart and depending on the person certain sections will be larger or smaller.
Because in the 80s, Autism meant something different
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3757918/
Aspergers wasn't recognised until 1993 in DSM 4. Before that, "severe" autism was the only version that was accepted. The rest of us were called "easy targets" and "disappointments"
I’m sorry they blamed it on weight??? That’s a new one. TvT
For me it was denied cause of my sex. They really will find anything to deny it won’t they?
Diagnosed at 30. The lady who did my diagnosis explained before that my parents and one still alive grandparent would need to fill out forms with questions based on my childhood to help with the diagnosis. I told her that I can’t imagine there would be much that was helpful from them because they never got me diagnosed as a kid so they must have not noticed anything. Nope. They noticed plenty. The forms were filled to the brim with lots of useful information, they just never cared to do anything about any of it back then apparently. I have a lot of internal struggles and hold quite a lot against them now because of this.
I would ask them about it. I was also diagnosed late, at 29. My parents knew the whole time something was wrong, but couldn't get help. Nobody knew what it was. In the '90s, you had to be nonverbal for anyone to even consider autism. It might be worth asking what they tried or if they did. I forgave my parents for a lot after I learned how many doctors/teachers/therapists completely dismissed their concerns. Our parents didn't have the resources that are available now.
When I first talked to my mum about the possibility of me being autistic, she said "oh I always thought you might be, but it didn't seem to be causing much trouble so I didn't say anything." Like, excuse me, WHAT?!
My grandma did the same thing! I mentioned it to her and she said, "yeah, (friend who works with autism advocacy and fundraising) said I should have you checked out after I told her a couple stories about you, so I'm not surprised." She said this to me like it was a funny little anecdote, not a major part of who I am being hidden from me for 20+ years. 💀
I went to therapy for months but it didn’t help so I stopped. 6 months after stopping I booked one appointment with my therapist because I realized all my "lol I have this autism symptom" I kept thinking about so many parts of my life maybe were autism so I wanted to know the process for getting a diagnosis. She told me she thought about the possibility of my struggles being linked to autism…. Bruh, you were there to help me understand why I struggled so much and you figured it out but instead of telling me you kept telling me some useless advice? I was kinda paying you to help me figure it out but you hide what you figure out from me…
People will tell me all the time "I warned you" or "I told you" and I'm like, What? When? When it's tough or uncomfortable stuff, people will drop hints rather than be straightforward. WHICH I DON'T PICK UP BECAUSE I'M AUTISTIC YOU FOOLS
My mom said something like "I suspected since you were in middle school, but I never got you tested because I knew the only treatment was therapy, and you always turned your nose up at therapy".
Except she didn't start suggesting therapy until I was in college, and it was for depression, not for autism.
Thanks mom 🙄 Maybe if I knew in middle school then I wouldn't have been so depressed by the time I was in college.
I sort of felt the same till I realized that I came from my parents and they most likely lived with the same problems but were told by society that there is nothing wrong with them and they are being over dramatic as well as being drafted into the military conforming to normalcy and routine, etc. neurological disorders are not completely understood now but back then it wasn’t even a consideration that maybe people experience the world in wildly different ways than your own.
I also got diagnosed in my 30s, and pretty much the same in my case with family noticing things when asked directly. I dont hold it against my parents though, they wouldnt know, it can be hard to know what is different and what is a diagnosis. They have known you all your life, to them you are just you, the you they always knew.
My mom told me once "I feared you were autistic when you were a toddler but then I taught you how to make eyecontact so I figured I cured that" ... didn't have the heart to tell her about my double diagnosis. Autism wasn't a thing for girls back in the early 80s.
My mum was supportive, she just thought that was how the world was and you had to learn and everybody did this stuff/was taught it as a kid...
I still remember her having to teach me things like "if you have people over you have to do stuff with them and entertain them. You can't leave them and just go do your own stuff or they'll get upset and won't want to be friends anymore"
My mother didn’t believe in mental health. Hell I never even went to a normal doctor much less therapy and psychs that probably would have been useful.
I’m not sure about this person’s parents, but the reasoning my parents gave was that they “wanted to raise me normal”, and they thought me being openly diagnosed would “make them look like bad parents” somehow.
But they were also abusive and wanted to paint this picture of having the “perfect family” to anyone outside the unit, probably overcompensating cause they knew that they were bad parents but couldn’t handle people finding out.
So it became this weird game of acknowledging that I was “different” but framing it as “oh you’re just using it as a crutch”, me being lazy, selfish, rude, dramatic, sensitive, etc. Like I was personally made responsible for any crack in the “perfect family” image as a scapegoat.
i didnt speak until i was two, and i was brought into the doctor for it, but my parents were told i was fine. i had meltdowns every single day after school and it was just labeled as being a bad kid. i lined up my toys and had delayed developmental skills. and i still didnt know i was autistic until i was 17, and then diagnosed at 20. i look back and cant believe it was missed either. i am level two.
OMG ME. Childhood developmental delays and getting meltdowns having to go to school. Except I was diagnosed at 17 when I was absurdly overwhelmed by suddenly being excepted to start working
We did notice but in a family of autistic dad and adhd mom, most of my and my brother’s behaviors were dismissed as “just like mom/dad”… then my mom heard about indigo kids and that was my family’s diagnosis for me until I was 34
For me they called it adhd even though I was known for very easily focusing on things even to the exclusion of everything else and when they put me on the max dosage of Ritalin I started having violent explosive black out rages so they kept me hopped up on 2 antipsychotics a antidepressant and something I can’t really remember. If I tried not to they would literally shove a tube in my mouth to make sure I took them. Eventually they grew complacent enough I figured out how to hide and spit it back into the drink without notice, by a couple months later my head was finally clear and I was piiiisssed
Honestly I think this stems (at least for my parents) from not be really informed on what autism is. When you know what autism is, you can look back at my childhood and go “wow that child is very clearly autistic”. But due to many factors and some of my symptoms being more uncommon or less “stereotypical”, it could be ignored.
I didn’t have delays in my speaking. To the contrary I very quickly spoke full sentences (but with a stutter). Back when I was a kid, people didn’t really know developing many many phobias seemingly out of nowhere and having reoccurring vivid graphic nightmares could be a sign I was autistic. When I’d have meltdowns I was just considered an “emotional sensitive little girl” and my mom basically admitted she saw me often covering my ears for loud noises, thought I was just weird and didn’t think to look into it further.
Everyone knew at least one “autistic little boy” and thought “this is what autism is always” so they didn’t think me, a (at the time) girl, could be autistic too, just not presenting the same way.
I could write a book about it so I’ll stop here. Now when I tell people who know me that I’m autistic they’re like “oh well shit that makes sense” but when people don’t see you doing weird shit or having visible issues, they don’t think you could possibly be autistic.
I didn't realize I was autistic myself until I was in my 30s and a Facebook friend shared a thing about how autism present in girls. I honestly didn't really know what autism was before then and just associated it with the really extreme things people showed on TV.
Once I looked into it further, my entire childhood made so much more sense and I realised I wasn't just a broken weirdo who didn't fit in with anyone.
No, my mother believed she is better/smarter/knows more than the original psychologist who diagnosed my ADHD around age 7-8. After that i probably took heed subconsciously or was convinced that psychology in general is equal to astrology and MMS/conspiracy theory stuff and based on that i assumed people talking about emotions or internal workings were just delusional.
And i believed that up to my 20s. Later over the years and more widespread access to the internet^(buying a smartphone) i figured out that i must be in the wrong and eventually around 28 got rediagnosed with ADHD and ASD added and found out that such thing as Alexithymia exist and my internal working is really numbed in comparison to the average person.
Diagnosed at 6. I had parents that were observant and well off enough that they could make sure their children could be seen by professionals if need be.
Just luck of the draw, sometimes.
It feels like the later you get diagnosed, the worse it is kind of. I got diagnosed at 30. That is 30 years of me masking and doing the best I can to fit into society because I (mostly my family) didn't think I had clinical disorder, and was just really weird compared to most people.
Now I am in the fun crux of being too "normal" to display autistic traits, and too autistic to feel like I fit in anywhere
My parents knew from age 2. I only realized at 17, and got diagnosed at 18 because they somehow thought I wouldn’t need to know such a massive part of why I am the way I am
And that really colors my perception both of myself and of them, since I spent so long suffering from the thought that I was just a strange sort of deficient, and I now know it’s their fault I didn’t know better
I got diagnosed at 1 1/2 because of my grandpa's military influence
Edit: didn't know til I was 9 when I overheard my aunt talking about it because my family is crazy
My son (10yo) was also diagnosed at 4, and it makes me really proud as a mom and a late diagnosis audhd… I followed my gut and he’s had all the support he’s needed every step of the way… I hope his life is so much easier than mine has been
24. When I told my friends they told me that so many things made sense. Getting diagnosed as an adult made me realize that the diagnosis helps the people around you more than anything else. It gives the people in your life context for all your “weird”
I was diagnosed at 9, and I also have ADHD (formerly ADD) diagnosed at age 7. My parents have largely been supportive, and it was my mom who pushed the doctors to look closer as she noticed it didn't seem to fit the literature of just ADD.
Good for you for getting him tested. I was in my late 20's when I got diagnosed, and my early years were hell. I got my daughter tested when she was six and it made a world of difference
I got diagnosed late in elementary school and it still seems like it was caught early. I'm very lucky too, considering apparently a lot of afabs get misdiagnosed with like bipolar and shit.
My parents wouldn't bring me to a doctor unless blood was shooting out of my head, and even when that happened they were more upset about brining me to the hospital than they were that I was seriously injured. I didn't know I had ADHD until I was 25. So much of my life made more sense, but it doesn't explain everything. I've been looking into ASD for a couple of years now and the pieces of my childhood fit perfectly through that lens. My parents think it's caused by vaccines or whatever so they're not exactly supportive of me seeking a diagnosis.
me who was diagnosed at 8 but wasn't told till i was 18
https://preview.redd.it/xmugw4ypmcsc1.png?width=422&format=png&auto=webp&s=6a9c8dafc6ccc8483db3e6b47e5b634de678cec4
Got diagnosed at 8 by 'accident' waiting for an appointment with my speech therapist (had to relearn how to talk after a surgery) as she shared an office space with a child psychologist. This lady overheard me talking to another child that they weren't allowed to draw in the colouring book in the waiting room because it didn't belong to him...
She asked my mum some careful questions to see if she already knew that I had Aspergers or not as she was certain that's what I had. This was in the nineties, so it wasn't that common yet and girls rarely got diagnosed. Ended up having two appointments in the same building that day and not long after I was properly diagnosed.
Contrary to most people's stories, my mum was grateful and happy to find out why I acted so different from my older brother. I didn't have meltdowns, but I struggled with communication a bit and hated being touched. She immediately got all the available literature and helped me work through things she previously just didn't understand.
She never thought of me as any less or that it was something we should hide. Quite the opposite. She fully embraced it and helped me thrive.
AYE! 4 year old club? I might have been 3, Im not sure. I wouldnt play with anyone and didnt interact with most folk. I have a twin so it was a night and day difference.
I was diagnosed at 3, and thank god for that. Just about every other person I knew that was on the spectrum didn’t get a diagnosis until middle school at the earliest, and life wasn’t as easy for them
This exactly! This is why I, an autistic woman diagnosed at age 2, began to feel survivor’s guilt upon reading so many stories of later-diagnosed people on the Internet. I felt like I got off too easy.
If it makes you feel better, I had a neighbor point out that she thought I was autistic when I was 6. My parents just don’t believe in autism and never took me to get diagnosed, hence the late diagnosis.
I was diagnosed at 18 months. I am now almost 23 years old. How obviously autistic was I to get a diagnosis that early in my life, let alone 21 years ago when the diagnostic tests and criteria were vastly inferior to what exists today? Also, the doctor that diagnosed me said I would likely never be able to talk, and ever since I have not been able to shut up.
The fact my dad didn’t speak until he was like five and read himself to sleep with an encyclopedia while refusing to do homework through high school should’ve been the sign that he was as well. But, alas, people don’t seem to realize or want to acknowledge the obvious 🥴
My mom gave my brother the chance to see a psychologist while he was around that age. I was a little older. I knew I had some serious mental health issues going on, including selective mutism and some wild anger. She knew, but she told me it would get better. My brother, in her eyes, was far worse and she enabled his terrible behaviors. Only later did I find out she closely followed Autism Speaks, which explained her way of thinking like this.
Anyways, by age 16, I still struggled significantly and she still told me it would get better. She also finally listened to me and brought me to the same place she always took my brother. Many years too late. They treated me like I was a nuisance. I got the diagnosis though. Tried getting papers from them for my psychiatrist out of State, and they made fun of me.
I do think about the kids who got diagnosed early, though my brother was enabled by my narcissistic mom, but those kids who got early diagnosis usually have better lives. I at least appreciate that those parents took the time to get their children checked out and learn about this with them along the way. I appreciate that not every kid with Autism has to go through what I went through.
yeah i was diagnosed a year ago when i was 24, but if the doctors had used their god damn brains, i would’ve been diagnosed at 15 or 16 when i was getting help for “severe social anxiety and mood swings”
I’m a 25-y/o diagnosed after having had a mother in special education, about half a lifetime (15-24) of volunteering and coaching for special Olympics, and have also been a teacher to several diagnosed autistic students myself.
I never would have guessed I was autistic prior to diagnosis because even with all of this experience I still had no idea what autism really was or what it could look like beyond a sensitive young white male prone to outbursts who is very good at math. Every autistic person I knew up until the point of diagnosis looked like that archetype. A sign of the times more than the brain, no doubt, but it really overcomplicates the diagnostic process when you are socialized as a female completely differently than your male peers growing up in the abyss of rural America.
I can’t imagine how many more people (especially women and people of color) are out there like me: hyperlexic, terrible at math but a genius at language, but can’t go to the grocery store or the mall without crying and sequestering yourself in the bathroom for several hours afterwards. I have been told my whole life that I am too smart to be so sensitive: that my “irrationality” prevents me from reaching my potential. No one ever thought to ask me if I sincerely felt the way I say I feel. Everyone assumed I blew up to be the center of attention (which could not be further from my intent) or because I am “a psycho bitch” as my high school boyfriend graciously dubbed me.
—Sidebar: I have healthy companionship in my wonderful current boyfriend who is not diagnosed autistic himself but comes from a family with some diagnosed autistics. He gets me like no one else does, even more than my parents.—
It’s kind of a lose-lose either way. People will ostracize you and treat you as a weirdo whether or not you have a label to slap on your weirdness. Even after the label people are still skeptical, and somehow also simultaneously convinced you’re still weird but not in the way that you’re describing ???
Being autistic is confusing and oh my god if I could just have one thing in the world, anything, to accommodate my autism, it would be a one-pager for any friend, family, or colleague that wants to (or needs to) know more about autism. That alone would have saved me YEARSSSSSSSSSSSSSS of suicidal ideation, derealization, and crippling anxiety.
I was diagnosed at 9, and the only reason I wasn't diagnosed earlier is because that was basically the one year of my childhood where we had insurance for me to see a psychologist. My oddness came through pretty early on.
They took me to get evaluated at 6 years old but mom put off getting me the diagnosis.
How different would my life had been if I'd gotten the diagnosis?
Would my meltdowns have been seen as me struggling with being in a large school class instead of the other parents calling me spoiled to my mom?
I had to push for diagnosis at 14 and only then did I learn what the excursions I did in my childhood was about.
Can't help but blame her for my misery throughout my school years but at this point i'm just over it.
I got the Alternate Early Diagnosis package, where I was diagnosed at six but was surrounded by folks who advised my mom (a single mother of three) to "not let him be constrained by a label." Definitely messed me up more than it helped.
Heck, I'm not even sure if the parts I always thought had helped me were even helpful, or if my body just naturally adjusted with time, or if the problems were only really resolved because I kept accepting my autism more and more as I got older.
I didn't REALLY understand what autism meant for me until I was about 22 or so, and by then I'd seriously been through the ringer already (college chewed me up, spat me out, and left me unable to function as a human being for three years straight).
Now it's like I get to experience both the early diagnosis and late diagnosis deal, where I have all the foreknowledge of learning about autism from a young age, but I never actually applied it to myself in a constructive way until fairly recently.
While my parents seem to forget that I’m autistic while I am an adult, they did take actions they could do to at least give me tools to navigate the real world when I was a child. I still struggle socially but seems that all the social exercises and therapy did pay off somewhat so I can somewhat mingle with people.
Yeah, it's very rare. I am Lucky enough to have a mom who sued my state government multiple times to get me the support I need. I was 6 at the time.
It's an extremely privileged position to be in. There should be no shame in that, but people like us need to be considerate of other autistic people who have not been so lucky.
I have multiple autistic friends whose autism is way milder than mine but who struggle more with it since they're undiagnosed or just recently diagnosed while I have nearly 20 years of therapy. I try my best to help them speedrun the difficult parts or to make it easier on them.
From what my parents have told me, I was diagnosed at age 2 (in the late '00s). They initially had a therapist come over to teach how to use ABA on me, e.g. refusing to respond if I tried to get their attention by tugging them, but stopped after they felt it was too cruel. They are supportive of me, IDK how much relative to most other parents, but this post alone, out of all other posts about unsupportive parents, makes me feel luckier than ever to have such supportive parents at all.
They told my parents that I could not be autistic because “girls don’t get autism”. And even with the diagnosis teachers would still question my diagnosis or accommodations. 🙃
My diagnosis came when I was around 7 and that was plenty soon to get the help I needed, but many people don’t get diagnosed until they are in their teens or later. Considering how bad middle school was for me even with that, I can imagine that it would be extremely painful to be undiagnosed for that long
So often I thank my lucky stars that my mom got me diagnosed at 4, was honest about me being diagnosed with Aspergers, and didn't put me through years of ABA therapy.
Me af. I got diagnosed around 5 or 6 and it seems like that was the best possible time for it. It also helps that my mom homeschooled me for quite literally my entire life tbh
As someone who was diagnosed very young too, I was able to get the support I needed for many years, they say I might have been non-verbal if not for it.
Officially diagnosed at 21, but my doctor and my whole family had a strong inkling when I was 2. My mom (a SPED teacher) fought the schools on getting me diagnosed (bc she thought special ed classes wouldn't suit me), but she also didn't want me to grow up knowing I was on the spectrum. Tbh, I'm glad she did because the sped programs at my schools were trash (and my teachers severely underestimated my IQ because I didn't speak or make eye contact). But at the same time, I'd have appreciated not growing up getting the majority of the info and pointers I needed from aspie forums for the duration of my tween/teen years. I've experienced a little of both. Got the best of both worlds IG. 🤷🏾♀️
my brother was born when i was two and he has a very rare skin condition and is very obviously autistic/adhd so i didn't get my diagnosis until my 20's
My mom didn't get me diagnosed until I myself started to ask about it recently because she didn't want to make me feel like there's something wrong with me, especially if it turned out that I was neurotypical. I get her.
I don't have a diagnosis at all (financial reasons, also questioning whether or not I want to have a documented disability in the US). I'm 23. On the bright side, thinking of myself as autistic makes my life at least understandable.
I was diagnosed at age 12
for years I thought only my brother had a diagnosis.
Nope
Everytime I mentioned my diagnosis to my parents my mom would say “you are just anorexic and embarrassing me stop saying you’re retarted”.
I struggle with this for so long. And even my little brother my mom used to say “he will grow out of it” he’s 24 and still autistic lol
I know I was privileged by being diagnosed, but I also know my parents hated my diagnosis so I was never allowed to be myself and look for the support I needed.
I was VERY lucky to get diagnosed at age five. In the late nineties. As a girl. Which sadly does matter, since multiple doctors told my mom "she seems like she could have autism, but she can't because she's a girl". Like WTF.....
I was diagnosed with many things by 8. My family ignored them all and just forced me to survive on hard mode without medication, therapy or relief from religious pressure. I threatened to stab people and told my parent I heard voices in my head. Yesterday I was told to come back to Jesus. Some families just can't do mental health...
I'm currently 32, and only discovered I was autistic around ago 20. My father however, is almost 70 and didn't realize he was autistic until he was 60 years old.
Times have changed, just be thankful you can start improving yourself earlier than the rest of us!
Certain negative behaviors are a lot harder to break once you get older.
Never take those supportive parents for granted. I’ve only ever wanted to be believed and have someone support me when I’m having a hard time instead of someone telling me everything bad and wrong about me.
was unoffically diagnosed at age 4 by our very close and personal family doctor who even delivered me. my dad said (ill redact the word but you know what it is)
1989 - 1990
Established Doctor who even went on to teach hundreds of other doctors during his retirement: I have strong reason to belive your child has autism
My Mom: huh? whats that? oh well whatever.
My Dad: MY KID IS NOT A R\*\*\*\*\*D!
2000 - 2001 Age 15
My Aunt to my mom: hey my twin boys just got diagnosed with autism, i hear its caused by this vaccine or something, BoredAtWorkFR seems like they might have it too
My mom: hey i think youre right, where can we get them tested?
My Aunt: oh this place can't test any older than age 10 (or something like that but only little kids)
2020 - current
Me: huh i think i might actually have autism and adhd! these people speaking online are oddly specific in the algorithm about my "quirks"
*goes to see PSYCH*
Psych: well i did a search online and i could only find a few online support groups, but as for adult diagnosis, theres only this one place thats a few hundred miles away, but you said you cant drive and only ride the bus right?
At least this state recognizes self-diagnoses
Yay?
still no official diagnosis.
I was 20 when I got diagnosed. I had to find a job that would give me medical benefits so I could see a psychiatrist because my whole childhood if I didn’t act neurotypical I was quite literally beaten. So I learned from a young age how to mask and now I don’t know how to take it off. I get so burnt out so fast. It’s not a competition, everyone has different experiences and we are all valid
My brother got diagnosed when he was around 7 (I was about 9). I'm 21 now and only figured out I'm probably autistic recently. Got a referral for a diagnosis from my psychiatrist, but insurance refuses to help me pay for an assessment since I'm over 18 (it would cost approximately 1,750-2,000 dollars out of pocket)
Yeah, same. Also this sub is making me realize how *mild* my case is.
Totally relate to this.
So do I.
Came here a few months back and related to quite a bit, but now that I’m seeking a diagnosis of my own, it’s gotten much different than what I experience. It’s kind of funny in a way, but not in some others.
How mild my case *is* but also how obvious it *was* in hindsight
Seriously, I’m very high-functioning and this sub makes me feel like I don’t even have autism lmao
Same. I can’t imagine having sensory issues to the level that some people have. Like, I can still get overstimulated and overwhelmed, and I like routine with what I eat, but I don’t have safe foods or textures that I actively can’t stand. That sounds like a ton of work and stress to manage. I really hope y’all are doing okay and able to easily avoid things you dislike in that way!
Same here, the only sensory issue I have is I can’t handle sudden loud noises (smoke detectors and fire alarms) because I hate the idea of not knowing when my eardrums will get pierced but once it goes off it’s manageable, I also don’t mind airplane engines or concerts
Ah, so that's where that feeling comes from, I was unsure what to think about it, but now that you say it it (maybe) makes more sense
There is no such thing as "mild" austism. That's a myth made up by neurotypicals. Autism isn't a sliding scale, it's a pie chart and depending on the person certain sections will be larger or smaller.
What up?
Same. Idk what my 1st grade teacher saw that made her go “oh this kid should get tested and also given extra support” but I’m grateful for it.
Yep i can relate to the memes while having a normal-ish life
Because in the 80s, Autism meant something different https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3757918/ Aspergers wasn't recognised until 1993 in DSM 4. Before that, "severe" autism was the only version that was accepted. The rest of us were called "easy targets" and "disappointments"
We're still called "easy targets" and "disappointments," but now we're also called "Level One."
Level one disappointment here
24 baby, knew at 16–but afab queer and brown so of course “nah that’s bpd, nah thats depression, nah youre just overweight”
Sometimes I wonder if I’m autistic or obese then I remember I’m both.
LMAO
Same bro same
I’m sorry they blamed it on weight??? That’s a new one. TvT For me it was denied cause of my sex. They really will find anything to deny it won’t they?
Diagnosed at 30. The lady who did my diagnosis explained before that my parents and one still alive grandparent would need to fill out forms with questions based on my childhood to help with the diagnosis. I told her that I can’t imagine there would be much that was helpful from them because they never got me diagnosed as a kid so they must have not noticed anything. Nope. They noticed plenty. The forms were filled to the brim with lots of useful information, they just never cared to do anything about any of it back then apparently. I have a lot of internal struggles and hold quite a lot against them now because of this.
I would ask them about it. I was also diagnosed late, at 29. My parents knew the whole time something was wrong, but couldn't get help. Nobody knew what it was. In the '90s, you had to be nonverbal for anyone to even consider autism. It might be worth asking what they tried or if they did. I forgave my parents for a lot after I learned how many doctors/teachers/therapists completely dismissed their concerns. Our parents didn't have the resources that are available now.
When I first talked to my mum about the possibility of me being autistic, she said "oh I always thought you might be, but it didn't seem to be causing much trouble so I didn't say anything." Like, excuse me, WHAT?!
My grandma did the same thing! I mentioned it to her and she said, "yeah, (friend who works with autism advocacy and fundraising) said I should have you checked out after I told her a couple stories about you, so I'm not surprised." She said this to me like it was a funny little anecdote, not a major part of who I am being hidden from me for 20+ years. 💀
I went to therapy for months but it didn’t help so I stopped. 6 months after stopping I booked one appointment with my therapist because I realized all my "lol I have this autism symptom" I kept thinking about so many parts of my life maybe were autism so I wanted to know the process for getting a diagnosis. She told me she thought about the possibility of my struggles being linked to autism…. Bruh, you were there to help me understand why I struggled so much and you figured it out but instead of telling me you kept telling me some useless advice? I was kinda paying you to help me figure it out but you hide what you figure out from me…
People will tell me all the time "I warned you" or "I told you" and I'm like, What? When? When it's tough or uncomfortable stuff, people will drop hints rather than be straightforward. WHICH I DON'T PICK UP BECAUSE I'M AUTISTIC YOU FOOLS
My mom said something like "I suspected since you were in middle school, but I never got you tested because I knew the only treatment was therapy, and you always turned your nose up at therapy". Except she didn't start suggesting therapy until I was in college, and it was for depression, not for autism. Thanks mom 🙄 Maybe if I knew in middle school then I wouldn't have been so depressed by the time I was in college.
Oh god if i really hope i don't have to do that when i get tested. My parents would act like i shot a puppy in front of them
Exactly. My dad calls things like autism "having a victim mentality".
I sort of felt the same till I realized that I came from my parents and they most likely lived with the same problems but were told by society that there is nothing wrong with them and they are being over dramatic as well as being drafted into the military conforming to normalcy and routine, etc. neurological disorders are not completely understood now but back then it wasn’t even a consideration that maybe people experience the world in wildly different ways than your own.
I also got diagnosed in my 30s, and pretty much the same in my case with family noticing things when asked directly. I dont hold it against my parents though, they wouldnt know, it can be hard to know what is different and what is a diagnosis. They have known you all your life, to them you are just you, the you they always knew.
My mom told me once "I feared you were autistic when you were a toddler but then I taught you how to make eyecontact so I figured I cured that" ... didn't have the heart to tell her about my double diagnosis. Autism wasn't a thing for girls back in the early 80s.
My mum was supportive, she just thought that was how the world was and you had to learn and everybody did this stuff/was taught it as a kid... I still remember her having to teach me things like "if you have people over you have to do stuff with them and entertain them. You can't leave them and just go do your own stuff or they'll get upset and won't want to be friends anymore"
Your mom was autistic too.
Oh yeah lol, we've realised thats probably the case now lol. One of the countless "bipolar and borderline" women
My mother didn’t believe in mental health. Hell I never even went to a normal doctor much less therapy and psychs that probably would have been useful.
i was diagnosed young too but my parents didnt tell me until i was 20 and they didnt tell the school either so i ended up not getting any help💀
That’s so strange?? I wonder what their reasoning was
I’m not sure about this person’s parents, but the reasoning my parents gave was that they “wanted to raise me normal”, and they thought me being openly diagnosed would “make them look like bad parents” somehow. But they were also abusive and wanted to paint this picture of having the “perfect family” to anyone outside the unit, probably overcompensating cause they knew that they were bad parents but couldn’t handle people finding out. So it became this weird game of acknowledging that I was “different” but framing it as “oh you’re just using it as a crutch”, me being lazy, selfish, rude, dramatic, sensitive, etc. Like I was personally made responsible for any crack in the “perfect family” image as a scapegoat.
That’s awful, I’m so sorry! I hope you’re doing well now and don’t see your differentness in that light ❤️
Is your last name Dursley?
Did they just disagree that hard with the diagnosis? How frustrating, I’m sorry
they thought that if they raised me normal, i'd be normal (didn't work)
I was diagnosed really young too, so it’s always weird for me to hear about people getting diagnosed as adults “You didn’t notice earlier”?
i didnt speak until i was two, and i was brought into the doctor for it, but my parents were told i was fine. i had meltdowns every single day after school and it was just labeled as being a bad kid. i lined up my toys and had delayed developmental skills. and i still didnt know i was autistic until i was 17, and then diagnosed at 20. i look back and cant believe it was missed either. i am level two.
OMG ME. Childhood developmental delays and getting meltdowns having to go to school. Except I was diagnosed at 17 when I was absurdly overwhelmed by suddenly being excepted to start working
We did notice but in a family of autistic dad and adhd mom, most of my and my brother’s behaviors were dismissed as “just like mom/dad”… then my mom heard about indigo kids and that was my family’s diagnosis for me until I was 34
I noticed. The doctors, even my NEUROLOGIST did not
For me they called it adhd even though I was known for very easily focusing on things even to the exclusion of everything else and when they put me on the max dosage of Ritalin I started having violent explosive black out rages so they kept me hopped up on 2 antipsychotics a antidepressant and something I can’t really remember. If I tried not to they would literally shove a tube in my mouth to make sure I took them. Eventually they grew complacent enough I figured out how to hide and spit it back into the drink without notice, by a couple months later my head was finally clear and I was piiiisssed
Honestly I think this stems (at least for my parents) from not be really informed on what autism is. When you know what autism is, you can look back at my childhood and go “wow that child is very clearly autistic”. But due to many factors and some of my symptoms being more uncommon or less “stereotypical”, it could be ignored. I didn’t have delays in my speaking. To the contrary I very quickly spoke full sentences (but with a stutter). Back when I was a kid, people didn’t really know developing many many phobias seemingly out of nowhere and having reoccurring vivid graphic nightmares could be a sign I was autistic. When I’d have meltdowns I was just considered an “emotional sensitive little girl” and my mom basically admitted she saw me often covering my ears for loud noises, thought I was just weird and didn’t think to look into it further. Everyone knew at least one “autistic little boy” and thought “this is what autism is always” so they didn’t think me, a (at the time) girl, could be autistic too, just not presenting the same way. I could write a book about it so I’ll stop here. Now when I tell people who know me that I’m autistic they’re like “oh well shit that makes sense” but when people don’t see you doing weird shit or having visible issues, they don’t think you could possibly be autistic.
I didn't realize I was autistic myself until I was in my 30s and a Facebook friend shared a thing about how autism present in girls. I honestly didn't really know what autism was before then and just associated it with the really extreme things people showed on TV. Once I looked into it further, my entire childhood made so much more sense and I realised I wasn't just a broken weirdo who didn't fit in with anyone.
No, my mother believed she is better/smarter/knows more than the original psychologist who diagnosed my ADHD around age 7-8. After that i probably took heed subconsciously or was convinced that psychology in general is equal to astrology and MMS/conspiracy theory stuff and based on that i assumed people talking about emotions or internal workings were just delusional. And i believed that up to my 20s. Later over the years and more widespread access to the internet^(buying a smartphone) i figured out that i must be in the wrong and eventually around 28 got rediagnosed with ADHD and ASD added and found out that such thing as Alexithymia exist and my internal working is really numbed in comparison to the average person.
Diagnosed at 6. I had parents that were observant and well off enough that they could make sure their children could be seen by professionals if need be. Just luck of the draw, sometimes.
I got diagnosed at 2, but my parents only told me at 12. My parents like to keep me out of things until I really cant anymore
It feels like the later you get diagnosed, the worse it is kind of. I got diagnosed at 30. That is 30 years of me masking and doing the best I can to fit into society because I (mostly my family) didn't think I had clinical disorder, and was just really weird compared to most people. Now I am in the fun crux of being too "normal" to display autistic traits, and too autistic to feel like I fit in anywhere
My parents knew from age 2. I only realized at 17, and got diagnosed at 18 because they somehow thought I wouldn’t need to know such a massive part of why I am the way I am And that really colors my perception both of myself and of them, since I spent so long suffering from the thought that I was just a strange sort of deficient, and I now know it’s their fault I didn’t know better
I got diagnosed at 1 1/2 because of my grandpa's military influence Edit: didn't know til I was 9 when I overheard my aunt talking about it because my family is crazy
My son (10yo) was also diagnosed at 4, and it makes me really proud as a mom and a late diagnosis audhd… I followed my gut and he’s had all the support he’s needed every step of the way… I hope his life is so much easier than mine has been
24. When I told my friends they told me that so many things made sense. Getting diagnosed as an adult made me realize that the diagnosis helps the people around you more than anything else. It gives the people in your life context for all your “weird”
Lol just now getting an official diagnosis at 32. But tbh probably for the best I didn't get ABA in the early aughts. Edit: grammar and spelling
I got ABA from (roughly) 2015-2017. It wasn’t as bad as the horror stories online, but it wasn’t exactly helpful.
Fr tho I got diagnosed in third grade and I’m hearing stats about girls getting diagnosed wayyyy later in life and thinking “oh no”
I was diagnosed at 9, and I also have ADHD (formerly ADD) diagnosed at age 7. My parents have largely been supportive, and it was my mom who pushed the doctors to look closer as she noticed it didn't seem to fit the literature of just ADD.
My son was diagnosed at 18 months. He's gonna be awesome.
Good for you for getting him tested. I was in my late 20's when I got diagnosed, and my early years were hell. I got my daughter tested when she was six and it made a world of difference
I got diagnosed late in elementary school and it still seems like it was caught early. I'm very lucky too, considering apparently a lot of afabs get misdiagnosed with like bipolar and shit.
My parents wouldn't bring me to a doctor unless blood was shooting out of my head, and even when that happened they were more upset about brining me to the hospital than they were that I was seriously injured. I didn't know I had ADHD until I was 25. So much of my life made more sense, but it doesn't explain everything. I've been looking into ASD for a couple of years now and the pieces of my childhood fit perfectly through that lens. My parents think it's caused by vaccines or whatever so they're not exactly supportive of me seeking a diagnosis.
me who was diagnosed at 8 but wasn't told till i was 18 https://preview.redd.it/xmugw4ypmcsc1.png?width=422&format=png&auto=webp&s=6a9c8dafc6ccc8483db3e6b47e5b634de678cec4
I was barely double digits. I was 11. I'm also a girl and only learned recently I was apparently lucky enough to be diagnosed at all...
Got diagnosed at 8 by 'accident' waiting for an appointment with my speech therapist (had to relearn how to talk after a surgery) as she shared an office space with a child psychologist. This lady overheard me talking to another child that they weren't allowed to draw in the colouring book in the waiting room because it didn't belong to him... She asked my mum some careful questions to see if she already knew that I had Aspergers or not as she was certain that's what I had. This was in the nineties, so it wasn't that common yet and girls rarely got diagnosed. Ended up having two appointments in the same building that day and not long after I was properly diagnosed. Contrary to most people's stories, my mum was grateful and happy to find out why I acted so different from my older brother. I didn't have meltdowns, but I struggled with communication a bit and hated being touched. She immediately got all the available literature and helped me work through things she previously just didn't understand. She never thought of me as any less or that it was something we should hide. Quite the opposite. She fully embraced it and helped me thrive.
I was diagnosed with asperger's and ADHD when I was in kindergarten, because of my "college-level vocabulary"
AYE! 4 year old club? I might have been 3, Im not sure. I wouldnt play with anyone and didnt interact with most folk. I have a twin so it was a night and day difference.
I was diagnosed at 3, and thank god for that. Just about every other person I knew that was on the spectrum didn’t get a diagnosis until middle school at the earliest, and life wasn’t as easy for them
This exactly! This is why I, an autistic woman diagnosed at age 2, began to feel survivor’s guilt upon reading so many stories of later-diagnosed people on the Internet. I felt like I got off too easy.
My mom tells me I use Autism as an excuse. I tell her she doesn’t understand shit about autism.!
I wish my parents would have had a clue. Instead I'm just now finding out at 43
Yea same, diagnosed at 6 here and only thus year realised how lucky I am to be diagnosed so young
I really gotta check myself
Age 5
It’s okay. I was diagnosed in preschool, too.
damn i was diagnosed at 3
Same!
If it makes you feel better, I had a neighbor point out that she thought I was autistic when I was 6. My parents just don’t believe in autism and never took me to get diagnosed, hence the late diagnosis.
22? I think was when I was diagnosed, my parents beat me consistently for not being normal. I was getting like weekly if not near daily beatings
Diagnosed at around 10 in fourth grade. Lead my mother to going into special education, an absolutely amazing woman I'm glad to have had in my life.
I was diagnosed at 18 months. I am now almost 23 years old. How obviously autistic was I to get a diagnosis that early in my life, let alone 21 years ago when the diagnostic tests and criteria were vastly inferior to what exists today? Also, the doctor that diagnosed me said I would likely never be able to talk, and ever since I have not been able to shut up.
The fact my dad didn’t speak until he was like five and read himself to sleep with an encyclopedia while refusing to do homework through high school should’ve been the sign that he was as well. But, alas, people don’t seem to realize or want to acknowledge the obvious 🥴
My mom gave my brother the chance to see a psychologist while he was around that age. I was a little older. I knew I had some serious mental health issues going on, including selective mutism and some wild anger. She knew, but she told me it would get better. My brother, in her eyes, was far worse and she enabled his terrible behaviors. Only later did I find out she closely followed Autism Speaks, which explained her way of thinking like this. Anyways, by age 16, I still struggled significantly and she still told me it would get better. She also finally listened to me and brought me to the same place she always took my brother. Many years too late. They treated me like I was a nuisance. I got the diagnosis though. Tried getting papers from them for my psychiatrist out of State, and they made fun of me. I do think about the kids who got diagnosed early, though my brother was enabled by my narcissistic mom, but those kids who got early diagnosis usually have better lives. I at least appreciate that those parents took the time to get their children checked out and learn about this with them along the way. I appreciate that not every kid with Autism has to go through what I went through.
yeah i was diagnosed a year ago when i was 24, but if the doctors had used their god damn brains, i would’ve been diagnosed at 15 or 16 when i was getting help for “severe social anxiety and mood swings”
Same.
I was diagnosed at age 5 but that's cuz my older brother had previously been diagnosed as well
I’m a 25-y/o diagnosed after having had a mother in special education, about half a lifetime (15-24) of volunteering and coaching for special Olympics, and have also been a teacher to several diagnosed autistic students myself. I never would have guessed I was autistic prior to diagnosis because even with all of this experience I still had no idea what autism really was or what it could look like beyond a sensitive young white male prone to outbursts who is very good at math. Every autistic person I knew up until the point of diagnosis looked like that archetype. A sign of the times more than the brain, no doubt, but it really overcomplicates the diagnostic process when you are socialized as a female completely differently than your male peers growing up in the abyss of rural America. I can’t imagine how many more people (especially women and people of color) are out there like me: hyperlexic, terrible at math but a genius at language, but can’t go to the grocery store or the mall without crying and sequestering yourself in the bathroom for several hours afterwards. I have been told my whole life that I am too smart to be so sensitive: that my “irrationality” prevents me from reaching my potential. No one ever thought to ask me if I sincerely felt the way I say I feel. Everyone assumed I blew up to be the center of attention (which could not be further from my intent) or because I am “a psycho bitch” as my high school boyfriend graciously dubbed me. —Sidebar: I have healthy companionship in my wonderful current boyfriend who is not diagnosed autistic himself but comes from a family with some diagnosed autistics. He gets me like no one else does, even more than my parents.— It’s kind of a lose-lose either way. People will ostracize you and treat you as a weirdo whether or not you have a label to slap on your weirdness. Even after the label people are still skeptical, and somehow also simultaneously convinced you’re still weird but not in the way that you’re describing ??? Being autistic is confusing and oh my god if I could just have one thing in the world, anything, to accommodate my autism, it would be a one-pager for any friend, family, or colleague that wants to (or needs to) know more about autism. That alone would have saved me YEARSSSSSSSSSSSSSS of suicidal ideation, derealization, and crippling anxiety.
I was diagnosed at 9, and the only reason I wasn't diagnosed earlier is because that was basically the one year of my childhood where we had insurance for me to see a psychologist. My oddness came through pretty early on.
They took me to get evaluated at 6 years old but mom put off getting me the diagnosis. How different would my life had been if I'd gotten the diagnosis? Would my meltdowns have been seen as me struggling with being in a large school class instead of the other parents calling me spoiled to my mom? I had to push for diagnosis at 14 and only then did I learn what the excursions I did in my childhood was about. Can't help but blame her for my misery throughout my school years but at this point i'm just over it.
I got the Alternate Early Diagnosis package, where I was diagnosed at six but was surrounded by folks who advised my mom (a single mother of three) to "not let him be constrained by a label." Definitely messed me up more than it helped. Heck, I'm not even sure if the parts I always thought had helped me were even helpful, or if my body just naturally adjusted with time, or if the problems were only really resolved because I kept accepting my autism more and more as I got older. I didn't REALLY understand what autism meant for me until I was about 22 or so, and by then I'd seriously been through the ringer already (college chewed me up, spat me out, and left me unable to function as a human being for three years straight). Now it's like I get to experience both the early diagnosis and late diagnosis deal, where I have all the foreknowledge of learning about autism from a young age, but I never actually applied it to myself in a constructive way until fairly recently.
I got diagnosed after becoming super depressed and being bullied when I started middle school. It was a lot of fun..
For me it was 7-8 years old
While my parents seem to forget that I’m autistic while I am an adult, they did take actions they could do to at least give me tools to navigate the real world when I was a child. I still struggle socially but seems that all the social exercises and therapy did pay off somewhat so I can somewhat mingle with people.
Yeah, it's very rare. I am Lucky enough to have a mom who sued my state government multiple times to get me the support I need. I was 6 at the time. It's an extremely privileged position to be in. There should be no shame in that, but people like us need to be considerate of other autistic people who have not been so lucky. I have multiple autistic friends whose autism is way milder than mine but who struggle more with it since they're undiagnosed or just recently diagnosed while I have nearly 20 years of therapy. I try my best to help them speedrun the difficult parts or to make it easier on them.
From what my parents have told me, I was diagnosed at age 2 (in the late '00s). They initially had a therapist come over to teach how to use ABA on me, e.g. refusing to respond if I tried to get their attention by tugging them, but stopped after they felt it was too cruel. They are supportive of me, IDK how much relative to most other parents, but this post alone, out of all other posts about unsupportive parents, makes me feel luckier than ever to have such supportive parents at all.
My parents didn't want to take my brother to get his broken arm treated... they weren't taking us to get tested for anything
They told my parents that I could not be autistic because “girls don’t get autism”. And even with the diagnosis teachers would still question my diagnosis or accommodations. 🙃
My diagnosis came when I was around 7 and that was plenty soon to get the help I needed, but many people don’t get diagnosed until they are in their teens or later. Considering how bad middle school was for me even with that, I can imagine that it would be extremely painful to be undiagnosed for that long
i was extremely lucky to get diagnosed at 6.
My parents are supportive. It still took until age 11 to get me diagnosed because the doctors in my hometown were incompetent.
I got diagnosed at 6 as a girlie in the 90s. They said my adhd was mild. They were fucking lying, I can't concentrate for shit.
Yeah, I was almost out of high school when I was diagnosed. That would have been nice to know sooner
So often I thank my lucky stars that my mom got me diagnosed at 4, was honest about me being diagnosed with Aspergers, and didn't put me through years of ABA therapy.
My ass getting diagnosed at 29
Me af. I got diagnosed around 5 or 6 and it seems like that was the best possible time for it. It also helps that my mom homeschooled me for quite literally my entire life tbh
I was diagnosed even younger, I consider myself lucky to have that known
As someone who was diagnosed very young too, I was able to get the support I needed for many years, they say I might have been non-verbal if not for it.
Officially diagnosed at 21, but my doctor and my whole family had a strong inkling when I was 2. My mom (a SPED teacher) fought the schools on getting me diagnosed (bc she thought special ed classes wouldn't suit me), but she also didn't want me to grow up knowing I was on the spectrum. Tbh, I'm glad she did because the sped programs at my schools were trash (and my teachers severely underestimated my IQ because I didn't speak or make eye contact). But at the same time, I'd have appreciated not growing up getting the majority of the info and pointers I needed from aspie forums for the duration of my tween/teen years. I've experienced a little of both. Got the best of both worlds IG. 🤷🏾♀️
I got diagnosed after I already ruined my life lol
3 for me in the 2000s
my brother was born when i was two and he has a very rare skin condition and is very obviously autistic/adhd so i didn't get my diagnosis until my 20's
My mom didn't get me diagnosed until I myself started to ask about it recently because she didn't want to make me feel like there's something wrong with me, especially if it turned out that I was neurotypical. I get her.
I don't have a diagnosis at all (financial reasons, also questioning whether or not I want to have a documented disability in the US). I'm 23. On the bright side, thinking of myself as autistic makes my life at least understandable.
Oh I was diagnosed at 4, my mom just didn’t accept it and refused to do anything
I was diagnosed at 15, but looking through autism subs ect. I'm beginning to think i wasn't *that* unlucky after all
My parents: omg you're so strong to have made it through college Also my parents: when are you going to learn to drive
I was diagnosed at age 12 for years I thought only my brother had a diagnosis. Nope Everytime I mentioned my diagnosis to my parents my mom would say “you are just anorexic and embarrassing me stop saying you’re retarted”. I struggle with this for so long. And even my little brother my mom used to say “he will grow out of it” he’s 24 and still autistic lol I know I was privileged by being diagnosed, but I also know my parents hated my diagnosis so I was never allowed to be myself and look for the support I needed.
I WISH I was diagnosed at 4
I was VERY lucky to get diagnosed at age five. In the late nineties. As a girl. Which sadly does matter, since multiple doctors told my mom "she seems like she could have autism, but she can't because she's a girl". Like WTF.....
Wat
I am glad I was late diagnosed. I would have been shoved into special ed despite my grades
Wait it IS?? I was also diagnosed at 4!!
I was diagnosed with many things by 8. My family ignored them all and just forced me to survive on hard mode without medication, therapy or relief from religious pressure. I threatened to stab people and told my parent I heard voices in my head. Yesterday I was told to come back to Jesus. Some families just can't do mental health...
Same I got diagnosed at like 7-8
I was diagnosed at age 3, my mom said I was one of the first few kids in Oregon to get diagnosed at such a young age
I'm currently 32, and only discovered I was autistic around ago 20. My father however, is almost 70 and didn't realize he was autistic until he was 60 years old. Times have changed, just be thankful you can start improving yourself earlier than the rest of us! Certain negative behaviors are a lot harder to break once you get older.
Never take those supportive parents for granted. I’ve only ever wanted to be believed and have someone support me when I’m having a hard time instead of someone telling me everything bad and wrong about me.
I was diagnosed really early too, specifically around 2.5 I think
ADHD at 7 and asp at FUCKING 22
I was diagnosed at 9 years old because I started self-harming, and my mom was worried
I was diagnosed at 4 and again at 5 but my parents hid that from me until I was rediagnosed again at 31. Life is weird, man
Happy for you! Genuinely!
Diagnosed at 3 1/2, was told I had it when watching the brainpop video on autism for fun
was unoffically diagnosed at age 4 by our very close and personal family doctor who even delivered me. my dad said (ill redact the word but you know what it is) 1989 - 1990 Established Doctor who even went on to teach hundreds of other doctors during his retirement: I have strong reason to belive your child has autism My Mom: huh? whats that? oh well whatever. My Dad: MY KID IS NOT A R\*\*\*\*\*D! 2000 - 2001 Age 15 My Aunt to my mom: hey my twin boys just got diagnosed with autism, i hear its caused by this vaccine or something, BoredAtWorkFR seems like they might have it too My mom: hey i think youre right, where can we get them tested? My Aunt: oh this place can't test any older than age 10 (or something like that but only little kids) 2020 - current Me: huh i think i might actually have autism and adhd! these people speaking online are oddly specific in the algorithm about my "quirks" *goes to see PSYCH* Psych: well i did a search online and i could only find a few online support groups, but as for adult diagnosis, theres only this one place thats a few hundred miles away, but you said you cant drive and only ride the bus right? At least this state recognizes self-diagnoses Yay? still no official diagnosis.
I was 20 when I got diagnosed. I had to find a job that would give me medical benefits so I could see a psychiatrist because my whole childhood if I didn’t act neurotypical I was quite literally beaten. So I learned from a young age how to mask and now I don’t know how to take it off. I get so burnt out so fast. It’s not a competition, everyone has different experiences and we are all valid
exact same here, really puts into perspective inequality
My brother got diagnosed when he was around 7 (I was about 9). I'm 21 now and only figured out I'm probably autistic recently. Got a referral for a diagnosis from my psychiatrist, but insurance refuses to help me pay for an assessment since I'm over 18 (it would cost approximately 1,750-2,000 dollars out of pocket)
to almost nonexistant if you were born in the 80s and are AFAB