After living for some decades, I got diagnosed with autism. Now what?

[chocolatebar]

Did someone have a late diagnosis too? What has changed in your life?

 

[Bootleg Astolfo]

Now you get to know exactly WHY you're struggling ! And people will treat you like a child as an added bonus :D People merely suspect i have the diagnostic, and people's way of treating me has already declined severely :D

 

[OldDrummer]

Same here. It made me re-evaluate my entire life as I had been masking and scripting all the time and didn't realise it.

 

[Why Me?]

I believe I'm definitely on the spectrum of autism, among other things. I don't have the energy to go to the doctors and I don't really see the point. Is there treatment for autism? Thanks for sharing. It's good to know what's wrong with you, it gives clarity at least.

 

[MegaGordo]

How did they test you and how did they evaluate the tests? Do you trust their conclusions?

 

[chocolatebar]

Same here. It made me re-evaluate my entire life as I had been masking and scripting all the time and didn't realise it.

The same happened to me. I realized I was expecting to have lived a live I wouldn't. Now I think differently and seek things I know I will like. However, it didn't change anything about my lost time in life, my biggest problem...

I believe I'm definitely on the spectrum of autism, among other things. I don't have the energy to go to the doctors and I don't really see the point. Is there treatment for autism? Thanks for sharing. It's good to know what's wrong with you, it gives clarity at least.

There's no treatment or cure, because it's not a disease. We're different and perceive tbe entire world in a different way. Tbe only thing therapy can help us is in finding strategies to adapt to the society we live in, in order to alleviate our struggles

How did they test you and how did they evaluate the tests? Do you trust their conclusions?

They evaluate me for a few weeks and gave me a few standardized tests to do. In the end, they asked me if I identify myself in each diagnostic line.

I trust the diagnostic because the things thay asked in each test ressonate to my life. I felt so familiar with everything

 

[noaccount]

Well, as an autistic diagnosed person, NO, the diagnosis does not tell us "Why" anything is happening. It is a description, not an explanation. In fact there is much discourse on all levels about "trying to find the cause of autism." However! What this discourse overlooks is: if a "cause" were ever "found," that would be a HUGE redefinition of what autism is!

Think about it: if someone has been understanding themselves as autistic their whole life, been diagnosed, found Autistic community, been involved in self-advocacy for acceptance and accomodations - AND THEN, someone says, "We Have Now Found The CAUSE OF AUTISM." But the person in question, turns out to not have whatever that "cause" is! Does that mean they are "no longer Autistic?" No - Their lifetime of experience is still their lifetime of experience!

So, in conclusion - autism is an umbrella term, fairly subjective, that describes a cluster of experiences stemming from LOTS OF DIFFERENT sources & causes - take it or leave it based on whether it seems a useful descriptor to you or not. You know yourself better than any doctor ever will.