Published on 12, July, 2020
I'm 49 yes and I've just been diagnosed with autism.
I feel the NHS as a whole has let me down, I have had problems through out my school and college days and got called Stupid alot whilst in Eduction and in personal time ie: HOME.
I now feel if had been diagnosed sooner I would not of been bullied as much I'd did and still do: it's just not fair .
I feel your pain Golom, like you and probably many others here, I was bullied at school and in some work situations and also by romantic partners and family members. My autism and ADHD has also been missed by professionals, but to be fair autism wasn't really know about when we were at school (I'm 45 BTW) so I'm not surprised it was missed and as Dawn said, a subtle presentation is unlikely to be picked up on. They did say I was probably dyslexic but they were not prepared to get me tested as it cost too much, just gave me 6 sessions of handwriting remediation classes which resulted in even more bullying!
The NHS is woefully lacking in anything to do with neurodivergence or mental health. I tried a few years ago to get assessed but it was rejected as apparently my medical notes from childhood didn't say I was autistic (well duh of course they didn't because it was the 80's and I wasn't assessed for autism when I was a child!). I'm currently in the process of trying to get assessed again, we shall see how far I get this time. It is a sad fact that there is a virtual desert as far as post diagnosis help is concerned both through the NHS and privately, thank goodness for spaces like this forum and the awesome folk that hang out here.
The positive here is that you have been diagnosed and you now have the opportunity to see all of those experiences in your life through a different lens, make peace with it, make adjustments to your current situation and live a happier and more fulfilled life.