Published on 12, July, 2020
It was suggested to me by my psychotherapist in the summer that I might be autistic. I have since done a lot of research and can identify with some of the signs but not all of them. Although my GP has agreed to refer me for an assessment, I sense that he has not taken it that seriously and doesn't believe that I'm actually autistic. I have learnt that girls and women are good at hiding their difficulties and, being in my late 40s now, I will have learnt to adapt to survive so far. Does anyone have any advice they can give me about what it's like for a woman in her forties to pursue a diagnosis? Also, does anyone share my sense that they can really identify with some symptoms of being on the spectrum but not all of them? I feel I would benefit from talking to someone who has already been through the experience and any help or advice they can give me.
Hello there,I'm 39 and waiting for an assessment. Hopefully it will be next spring.I can relate to your feeling of identifying with some autistic traits, but not all of them. At the beginning, this really unsettled me, because I strongly related to some autistic people's experiences but not others, which left me constantly hovering between being sure that I was autistic, and at other times, really doubting it.
But now I realise that the autistic spectrum is a collection of traits, and everyone will have a slightly different combination, and the same traits will express themselves in different ways in different people. I found descriptions like this helpful: This Graphic Shows What the Autism Spectrum Really Looks Like | The MightyI haven't yet had my assessment, but hope I can help if you have any questions.
Hello Ultramine
Thanks for replying to my question; I would be really interested to know what you consider to be your autistic traits and which ones you feel you don't have. I can definitely identify with what you say about sometimes believing you are probably autistic and then the next minute doubting it. What or who made you realize that you might be autistic in the first place? I had never considered it for myself until my psychotherapist mentioned it to me and since I have been researching it a whole new world has opened up for me. On many levels I am hoping that I am autistic because it would give me an explanation for my difficulties. Do you compare yourself to other people and always think you are less than them which gives you low self-esteem?
I look forward to hearing from you.