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Difference between those diagnosed early to those diagnosed later

TheCatWoman

According to research theres different genes involved in those diagnosed as young children to those diagnosed later in life and certainly those of us who were diagnosed as adults. The research states that theres no one cause of autism and that multiple genes are involved.

There's an article on it in todays Guardian newspaper.

Parents

  • great thread  

    So, as I see it based on the original paper (thanks again ) the paper says that there is a distinct genetic difference between early diagnosis autistic and late diagnosis autistic people.

    Am I right in thinking this cuts across the "more awareness of autism that's why more late diagnosis is taking place" analysis?

    Personally I can look back through my life and go "oh yes - that makes sense now" so I was autistic all along...

    Eventually I had exposure to a model of "autism" that I could hang my hat on metaphorically...

    I got by in society until eventually my "otherness" had to be acknowledged by myself (and hopefully other people - who, guess what?, knew all along...).

    Oh goodness me that's a "curve ball" into understanding what's going on!

  • in reply to Phased

    I only read the newspaper article, so I can't answer questions relating to it. But I do think theres much more awareness of it in children which is making parents, think 'hang on a minute, I do that too, am I autistic' and go and get tested. I remember watching a TV programe back in the 80's about autism and recognising myself in some of the behaviours, although not as extreme as shown in the programe which made me wonder if I could be a bit autistic? Not knowing any more about it or having anywhere to go and find out more, I just parked it in the back of my mind, until the 2000's when at uni and meeting people with ND made me go back and look at it again. It was still very hard for a woman to be recognised as autistic at that time, people were only just starting to recognise that not only women were autistic, but displayed it in different ways to their make counterparts.

    I know I've had autism all my life, I can remember various things that looked back on now are obviously autistic. But there have been times when it's been less problematic, being on silent retreats taught me a whole new way of being with people, counselling taught me how people work. It's not easy and never has been, people who know me well forget I'm autistic, until something happens and we stub our toes on it, mostly we laugh about it, but I still get some very strange and serious looks and the words, 'No, that's really just you'. I guess I'm lucky that I'm at a time in my life where I don't have to put up with so many ignorant people and can stand up for myself when I do come across them, my counselling experience has been a great help, not because I understand them, but because I can speak the language they use and disagree with them in a way that forces them to accept me as an equal.

    I do wonder what life would of been like had autism had the same recognition when I was young that it has now? Young people who've been diagnosed in childhood seem totally different, almost another culture, to me now. I'd love to have some dialogue with them, because there seems such a distance between us in our understanding and experiences. 

  • in reply to TheCatWoman

    Thanks  

    Please may I say that what you've written has revealed another side of you I'd not realised before on this chat site.  :-) 

    TheCatWoman said:
    not because I understand them, but because I can speak the language they use and disagree with them in a way that forces them to accept me as an equal.

    gosh that's a useful skill!

    I have had the opportunity to engage in dialogue with younger people diagnosed in childhood.  Albeit a small sample and it is unfair to draw conclusions from this..

    That said the thing that I pick up is that yes, they know they are autistic from an earlier age.  Sadly I am not sure that this has helped the people I have talked with tho'.

    The impression I have is that they have been given a problem with at best an unsatisfactory solution.

    I wonder if we are now in a lag period between defining the problem and a workable solution?

    Hehe maybe that's just me projecting my life experiences onto my observations! 

    The bit in the article and the paper that says there's a distinct genetic variation that leads to late diagnosis may be true - however for what proportion of late diagnosed people this is I haven't learned yet.  Like yourself on reflection I can see myself as being "different" since childhood.  As  suggests maybe environmental and hormonal triggers are involved.

    I figure that if I grew up and lived with only autistic people then they would just be people - ok maybe observations and analysis would find subgroups - that's what people do.  

    Still,  do sometimes wonder what that world would be like?

    Maybe a better place :-)

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