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Someone noticed at work

Marble2209

I'm in my mid 40s female. I've always felt that there was something different about me. I'm very shy and quiet, struggle with listening to instructions and tend to make mistakes. I also get bad anxiety. I've just been through a disciplinary process at work (I wasn't fired thankfully I got a warning), about an oversight I did regarding privacy and after talking things through with my rep he asked me if I ever thought I have autism. It got me thinking about some of my traits and behaviour, and some of the things I did at school. I used to bring a pair of pyjamas in so I could touch/feel them throughout the day. It gave me comfort, and I still do this when I go to bed, I like the feel of the covers so I stroke them until I go to sleep. I also had selective mutism and didn’t want to speak to the teachers. I have a twin too who is similar. My rep said women tend to mask which is why they struggle to get a diagnosis. 

Has anyone else had a lightbulb moment where someone they know or trust has mentioned they might have autism? I'm going to look into getting an assessment.

  • in reply to Lotus

    I wasn't diagnosed until I was 50, it was after being around autistic people, mostly men that I realised I shared some of the traits, did an online test and scored well into the autistic range that I went for diagnosis, it was a relief to finally be able to put a name to all this strangeness. For some diagnosis is unhelpful and they get really upset and angry, for others like myself it's a jumping off point, it's a reason rather than an excuse of why I can and can't do some things, but looking at my life through an autistic lens has helped me to stop punishing myself and embrace life in a different way. I can be positive about not having loads of people around me, I don't feel so lonely as I used to, I feel empowered in having my most important emotional relationships with animals rather than humans, rather than worrying about it and thinking I'm weird.

  • Hi and welcome to the community. I'm a woman in my sixties and discovered that I was on the spectrum in my fifties. Nobody guessed it apart from me, after watching a documentary on autism.

    There is a documentary available on channel 4 catchup service called Are you autistic - it was first screened in 2018, but if you haven't seen it you might find it helpful.

  • Welcome to the forum

    Here's the NAS pages 'Before Diagnosis' in case you hadn't already seen them.  Perhaps there's some information here which might help you make that decision.

    https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/diagnosis/before-diagnosis

    We can't give medical advice here - but can only speak of our own experiences & signpost you to the most appropriate care, which would normally be your GP in this instance, who would certainly be able to help (if not already) re anxiety. 

    Good luck & nice to hear from you.