Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi! I was diagnosed autistic as a 32 year old last year, and during my "journey of realisation" I've noticed that my 72 year old dad exhibits most of the same traits as I do. These include stimming, hyper awareness of noise and texture, niche interests, not being great at following conversation flow etc. He's never had an autism diagnosis. I suspect the reason I wasn't sent for one as a child was he just thought my behavior was "normal"!
Just being aware of it has really helped my relationship with him as things I used to be irritated at I can now explain away as just his undiagnosed autism, but I was wondering if there would be any benefit to bringing my suspicions up with him? Would it help at all or is it just too late?
I'd love to hear from anyone who got a diagnoses at a later stage of life to hear more about their experiences. Also I'd welcome solidarity posts from anyone who's had the same experience.
I was a little older than you when I got my diagnosis. However, that was never a big topic in the conversations with my parents. My father was also definitely on the spectrum and I think he was aware of it, but it was probably no longer an issue for him. In addition, it would have been difficult for him to even get a diagnosis because there were no suitable specialists in the area. Otherwise, my own diagnosis helped me to understand myself and my father better. Two other people in my family now also have one. However, there are some in my circle of friends and acquaintances who only received a diagnosis when they were in their 50s or 60s and for whom it was very important.