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Diagnosed in late 50s

Gordon-not-Ramsay

I have been recently diagnosed with autism, and have been told to be re-referred for an ADHD assessment.

I'm not sure what I am supposed to do with this info.

Has it clarified things? No

Does it make me happier knowing? No. The opposite in fact.

Does it answer any questions? No. It just creates more!

The main problem i have now is maintaining some connection to my ex-wife. She calls me out on so many things I do while telling me that autism is not an excuse for my behaviour. I want to tell her it is not an excuse but it is a cause. Autism creates situations in which I behave in the wrong way. She sees my behaviour as bad, while I see it as different.

I would type more, but I am getting so frustrated with the tiny text on the screen! I can hardly read what I am typing!

Parents

  • I was diagnosed this year and my initial reaction was to feel a bit stunned and puzzled. I didn't even know what I it was that I felt a stunned and puzzled about, other than it was obviously related to my diagnosis.   

    It took a good 4 weeks before I started feeling like the curtains had opened, a bit, and let in some light into a dark room. Now at 8 months, so many things make sense; such as failed relationships, failed careers, burnouts, mental illness, and simply just not thriving. This was countered by all the things I have done, made and enthused about. There were fuelled by my autism, my facility with patterns, shapes, colours, sounds, and above all my intuition (the ability to acquire knowledge without recourse to conscious reasoning or needing an explanation - Wiki).

    So, now I have much validation of who I am. In many ways the term autism is only the title on my book of who I am. 

    It seems people have very different responses to their assessment and especially the early days of post-assessement. I hope your journey is meaningful for you, too. 

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  • I was diagnosed this year and my initial reaction was to feel a bit stunned and puzzled. I didn't even know what I it was that I felt a stunned and puzzled about, other than it was obviously related to my diagnosis.   

    It took a good 4 weeks before I started feeling like the curtains had opened, a bit, and let in some light into a dark room. Now at 8 months, so many things make sense; such as failed relationships, failed careers, burnouts, mental illness, and simply just not thriving. This was countered by all the things I have done, made and enthused about. There were fuelled by my autism, my facility with patterns, shapes, colours, sounds, and above all my intuition (the ability to acquire knowledge without recourse to conscious reasoning or needing an explanation - Wiki).

    So, now I have much validation of who I am. In many ways the term autism is only the title on my book of who I am. 

    It seems people have very different responses to their assessment and especially the early days of post-assessement. I hope your journey is meaningful for you, too. 

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