Published on 12, July, 2020
That's been my experience in nearly 50 years as a late diagnosed autistic person with serious mental illness . There's an expectancy/demand even of near uniformity of intellectual performance, among the various areas of cognition, that many autistic people can't satisfy. For me that resulted in many years of being treated as though I was an awkward so and so, with a major character defect. It's also meant never getting help and support for the impaired executive functioning I've always struggled with.
I suppose it helps to keep in mind that for the first 19 years of that experience there was no diagnosis of autism as it is now understood - it was only added to the DSM back in 1994 and became a more commonly accepted diagnosis from the early 2000s and it was only in 2013 when Aspergers became part of the ASD diagnosis that it started to get more visibility.
There is a growth curve in the support system to learn aout this subject then to become exposed to it and finally become proficient in understanding / diagnosing it so this explains why it has been so sporadic until more recently.
It doesn't make it any nicer though, but it explains why a behemoth like the health system is taking so long to get up to speed in a subject that is constantly evolving in its understanding,
Too many pen-pushers in the system. Plus, front-line staff are also bogged down by bureaucratic duties.
The whole 'Internet of Things' has gone too far. It's all about dotting Is and crossing Ts.