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.
I didnt relate to the idea of needing routines, but when I looked more into that more I realised I was just viewing it in a very rigid way.
I had the same problem. Then I realised that my difficulty with perceiving time affected my desire for routines. Though I like things to be predictable, and dislike change, I have no requirement for things to happen at a certain time or in a certain order. My need for a safe and predictable environment is fully autistic, but the means of achieving this is not through set routines. I suspect my difficulties with time are a result of how my particular autistic brain functions.
Yes that is the same for me. My timekeeping is generally very poor, apart from hating to be late for anything with a set time.
My time-management is poor, too. Usually, I spread myself too thin. Also, I multitask.
I learnt to tell the time quite late. When I did, I did it visually; I recognise time from the clock face itself. That means I have great difficulty with digital clocks and if asked the time in the street, I often cannot translate the image of the hands on the watch into words. If asked, I often point to my empty left wrist to avoid answering, though I always have a pocket watch on me. I cannot stand the irritation of the strap of a watch around my wrist,