Did you receive a very late autism diagnosis/realisation?

thanks for the link debbie, ive just read the article. I can relate to everything the guy said. I was diagnosed in my 40s but have never "come out" to anyone other than my husband and mother (who trashed the idea) so i never mentioned it again and have just got on with my life, struggling. Now in my 60s i have just told my adult children who had suspected it (the young ones are so much more informed than my generation) and have urged me to seek the company of other likeminded people as i find it very hard to get on with "ordinary " people. so ive joined this group as a start. i wonder if any of you go to local meet ups with others with ASD as at first when my kids suggested it i said Noooo that would be awful !!

Lovely to meet you all by the way.

So the "New Forum" does have "special opportunities" for our dear old spam bots = they are enabled to "like" their own spam posts.

Now THAT'S progress for you !?

I am completely with you on all you say.

I realised I was on the spectrum in my fifties. I saw an autistic woman in a TV documentary and identified with her, then found the AQ50 test online and scored 42. 

Although a doctor agreed with my self diagnosis, he advised there was little point getting a formal diagnosis as I wouldn't get any support. After joining this forum I saw a post from someone who had been assessed and told they weren't autistic, but they were certain that they were. I was concerned that because I've coped ok all my life (with the support of my husband) and most of the time have been able to work at least part time, I wouldn't be recognised as autistic and if that had happened it would have upset me, as I feel I belong with the autistic adults on here and seem to empathise with you all.

So I very much agree with the article, that autism in older people is way under diagnosed.

I think this is a great idea for a thread.

Let me start off. I was diagnosed at 54 after my partners brother who had not long been diagnosed with ADHD suggested that I displayed some traits. I did my research and discovered I related to so much. I went to my GP got put on the NHS waiting list. I was told it could be as much as 2-4 years wait. I went private (lucky I could afford it) as I was having issues at work being blamed for so many things to do with communication.

Pros of diagnosis:

• Explained a lot about me and my life.
• I would be able to ask for reasonable adjustments to help
• I could seek out meaningful support.
• I could get to know the real me, not the me who thought he was broken all his life.
• I understood my drive and focus.
• Managed to get a disabled parking badge

Cons:

• It turned my world upside down.
• Grief overcame me at the missed opportunities in my past.
• Opened old psychological wounds that I thought had healed.
• Not knowing who the real me was and what was masking.
• Discovered that masking has many layers.
• I fear that my diagnosis has ended my career due to bias and discrimination at work. It is very unlikely that I would find another job in my profession due to the niche nature of my profession. I thought that I would be supported at work but this has been used to  manage me out due to my needs meaning that I would need managed in a different way. A way my management thinks will make their jobs a little harder.

I am 50/50 at the moment well maybe 70/30 about the pros outweighing the cons but that would be dependent on winning a potential tribunal case and getting awarded reasonable damages.

I know now about burnout and have been in and out of burnout for most of my working life.

I do agree that there is so many undiagnosed adults out there and there is no real support for us.