Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi all,
Over the past 18 months or so, my wife and myself have come to the conclusion that I could well be on the Autistic spectrum. My wife had a slight suspicion prior, but after I had a heart attack last year, it became more apparent, probably due to me being far too tired to keep masking as I was recovering.
We analysed my meltdowns / shutdowns (as we guess they are now and not just me going off on one), triggers, my aversion to noises (I can hear the hum of lights, fridge, electrical equipment etc. and always thought it was strange that I couldn't filter it out), dislike of bright lights (including sitting in the sun for any length of time) amongst quite a few other things and me being a thoroughly anti-social git (a lot of meltdowns always happened prior to going out to a social function, holiday with friends etc).
This analysis led us to the conclusion and has helped up change things lifestyle wise and house wise to help me.
I've also been told by a Psychologist that it does sound like I am, but they don't have the qualification / ability to diagnose me and the NHS authority don't deal with adult diagnosis, so it looks like a private route would be needed.
Although I'm only at the start of trying to determine whether I should get an official / medical diagnosis, I'm just wondering if people my age (nearing mid 50's) do ever get diagnosed and what, if any, advantages does the diagnosis have, aside from peace of mind and an understanding of why I am like I am?
Thanks.
almost 50 years old, freshly diagnosed.
A formal diagnosis could help you on the workplace, it would protect you under the disability act of 2010.
If you want support or help, you can have them. As long as you can pay. There are no provisions for an high functioning adult.
If you want to embark in a voyage of self-discovery, go ahead. Personally, I think that at 50yo it's way too late. Our formative and best years are already long gone.
Hi, and welcome.
I was diagnosed at 60, a year ago.
There are lots of late diagnosed bods on this forum.
Mine was NHS - I live in Hampshire.
Wheeky said: what, if any, advantages does the diagnosis have, aside from peace of mind and an understanding of why I am like I am?
This thread might be of interest:
https://community.autism.org.uk/f/adults-on-the-autistic-spectrum/33559/life-changes-since-diagnosis-self-realisation-identification
Doing the RAADS-R test might be useful.
Here is a thread I started when I had a different ID here:
https://community.autism.org.uk/f/adults-on-the-autistic-spectrum/28699/raads-r-diagnostic-scale/313134#313134
All the best.
Hi, mid-forties and that was ten years ago. Lots of people get diagnosed late in life, any age, some well in to retirement. It really depends how important it is for your individual circumstances. It was vital for me. I was at the end of the line and couldn't go on.
You are clearly making good progress with your home-life situation and adapting things now you're aware of it. It just all depends whether you feel you need to make it official. Some people (seniors) might feel it's not worth the hassle. Others need it in order to carry on and finally be able to make sense of things. Best of luck, hope you're okay now after your heart problems.