Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi There,
I am autistic and have an interest in the history of autism. I often wonder if autism has been around for hundreds of years but people never thought much of it back then. I think people back in the day would just look at us and think “oh he’s just quiet” or “oh she’s a bit shy but has a heart of gold” that kind of thing. I mean I never would have guessed I was autistic I really don’t feel disabled I just feel like a normal person who’s got a different mind.
is there anyone here from say the 40’s 50’s or 60’s that would like to share what being an autistic child was like back then when nobody knew what autism was? It must have been difficult feeling different but not knowing why.
My childhood was the 80's and 90's, so not as far back as you were thinking about, and it was a very difficult and traumatising period for me. Although autism was known about it was the stereotypical 'non-speaking male child rocking in a corner' version and as I became extremely good at masking from a very young age I was just seen as shy, aloof, standoffish, a bit weird and not willing to contribute in class. As a result I got bullied a lot and I had a lot of time off school as I just couldn't cope with it. At one point my secondary school thought I might be dyslexic (which I am) but wouldn't refer me for testing as it was 'too expensive and would be a lot of hassle', so I got 6 weeks of handwriting remedial class instead, so I expect there would have been a similar response if autism was more recognised back then. Looking back there are several other children I was at school with who I suspect were autistic too, all of which had a tough time being bullied and put in the lower sets where they basically didn't bother to teach them anything.
I also believe my mum is autistic too, she also thinks she might be but isn't interested in getting diagnosed, and her childhood was in the 50's and 60's but I think she developed better coping mechanisms than I did.