Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi, I’m 37 and in the last few years have concluded I’m almost certainly autistic. I prefer the phrase “over the rainbow” to “on the spectrum “ - OK I probably made my phrase up but I think spectrum is an ugly word. My mum and boss are also both convinced I’m autistic.
My question is - should I try to pursue a diagnosis? I spoke to my doctor a couple of years ago and the advice was “there’s not really much of a service to diagnose adults and a label wouldn’t help you” but actually it would. The moment a person who knows me well said they had no doubt that I was autistic a huge weight was lifted. I’d spent my whole life feeling like I wasn’t a proper person - because I didn’t understand people.
But is it enough for me to believe that? Can I explain myself to people by saying I have autism if I haven’t been formally diagnosed? Am I allowed to say that?
Sorry this has rambled on longer than I meant it to. Thanks for reading this far!
Hi, and welcome! Although it's different for everyone and a very personal journey, for me a diagnosis helped very much (I was diagnosed at 30), and helped to pinpoint more accurately what's happening. What I found is that there is something going on with the way my brain processes language, especially verbal language, and it takes longer for me to understand than the pace that regular conversation moves at. When people speak to me more slowly than they normally would, it helps very much. Not everyone seeks a diagnosis but if you were to decide to, there is a service to diagnose adults, although the NHS waiting list is quite long and may take over a year. There are also private places and although they cost, they can see people much more quickly (this was the route I went down and the NAS website has a good directory). This forum is also great for discussing things and hearing about people's experiences, and helps a lot too.