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Diagnosed with Autism and ADHD at 56

Ash101

I am new to this forum so apologise if i this has been asked before.

Im 56 year old male. Yesterday i met with the consultant and was told i have Autism and ADHD after 8 months of tests, interviewx, question, etc.

3 years prior to this, they did a screening but I wasnt convinced and wanted them to look at it in detail and conduct a thorough test and diagnosis (which was very involved and lasted 8 months).

Throughout the process i always asked them that if its not autism/adhd will they be able to let me know what it is and how to resolve it. They did explain that was their intention and they would conduct further tests if needed. That was reassuring to know. I just wanted to knoe what conditions i have and how to resolve it. I really wasnt so concerned what the name of the condition was. At some point i thought it may just be made up in.my head and would have been ok if they told me that and said there is nothing wrong with me. 

They then confirmed that i was Autistic and have ADHD.

It was a bit of a shock and i am sure it will take time to understand what this exactly means. They didnt really explain how to resolve it? I am sure they will explain it in the report they will issue to me and the GP. They also said that once i get the report i need to make an appt with GP for follow up support. So i am guessing that the gp will explain what happens now. 

I havent told anyone except my wife and not sure if i should or not? Not even sure if they will believe me?

Can anyone tell me what treatment there is for Autism and adhd for newly diagnosed  people

Parents

  • Hey Ash101!

    I also have ASD/ADHD (some of us call it AuDHD, since that’s a common combination). I was also diagnosed later in life (30 for me, I’m 33 right now). Okay, you’ve got a lot of questions, so I’m going to try to answer all of them as best as I can:

    1. How to resolve Autism? Well that’s a tough one. There isn’t a cure for Autism. Therapy can definitely help with working through social and sensory difficulties (especially if you’ve also got anxiety/depression like me), but there isn’t a pill that can get rid of it. There is a huge movement right now towards self-acceptance of Autism where rather than try to hide our Autism (also known as “masking”) we accept our quirks and sensory troubles for what they are. But the best option for getting help is therapy.

    2. How to resolve ADHD? So that can potentially be treated (but not cured) with medication. That’s why the follow up with your GP will be pretty important, because it is possible they might recommend a medical treatment to help with attention. I’m currently on a medication for it, and surprisingly the improvement to focus the medication brings also has helped with my socializing a bit as well.

    3. Not sure if you should tell others or not? That’s completely up to you. I’m usually pretty vocal about my Autism to most people because it’s generally a condition I’m actually kind of proud of, but there are situations I definitely don’t feel comfortable. I live in the Midwest of the United States, so there’s a stigma in certain regions where Autism is freakish disease children catch from vaccines. Around people that believe that? Yeah, I’m not as comfortable disclosing my condition.

    4. Will they believe you? Some, no. But with an official diagnosis most will have to believe you. My own wife didn’t believe I had Autism until I got officially diagnosed. You’ll hear a lot of crap like “You don’t look autistic” or “But you’re so capable!” We’re all so used to it; I’m a little desensitized to the disbelief.

    I hope that helps? If you have any additional questions or concerns, feel free to ask. Best wishes!

Reply

  • Hey Ash101!

    I also have ASD/ADHD (some of us call it AuDHD, since that’s a common combination). I was also diagnosed later in life (30 for me, I’m 33 right now). Okay, you’ve got a lot of questions, so I’m going to try to answer all of them as best as I can:

    1. How to resolve Autism? Well that’s a tough one. There isn’t a cure for Autism. Therapy can definitely help with working through social and sensory difficulties (especially if you’ve also got anxiety/depression like me), but there isn’t a pill that can get rid of it. There is a huge movement right now towards self-acceptance of Autism where rather than try to hide our Autism (also known as “masking”) we accept our quirks and sensory troubles for what they are. But the best option for getting help is therapy.

    2. How to resolve ADHD? So that can potentially be treated (but not cured) with medication. That’s why the follow up with your GP will be pretty important, because it is possible they might recommend a medical treatment to help with attention. I’m currently on a medication for it, and surprisingly the improvement to focus the medication brings also has helped with my socializing a bit as well.

    3. Not sure if you should tell others or not? That’s completely up to you. I’m usually pretty vocal about my Autism to most people because it’s generally a condition I’m actually kind of proud of, but there are situations I definitely don’t feel comfortable. I live in the Midwest of the United States, so there’s a stigma in certain regions where Autism is freakish disease children catch from vaccines. Around people that believe that? Yeah, I’m not as comfortable disclosing my condition.

    4. Will they believe you? Some, no. But with an official diagnosis most will have to believe you. My own wife didn’t believe I had Autism until I got officially diagnosed. You’ll hear a lot of crap like “You don’t look autistic” or “But you’re so capable!” We’re all so used to it; I’m a little desensitized to the disbelief.

    I hope that helps? If you have any additional questions or concerns, feel free to ask. Best wishes!

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