Published on 12, July, 2020
I was diagnosed with ASC, or ASD, this February at the age of 59. I also have a few other comorbidities thrown in for good measure. So now I have a new identity, as an Autist, which is an interesting phenomenon at my age. However, I am still the same person I always was, and, ironically, I was always autistic. The diagnosis was liberating, it gave me insight into why I have always had certain difficulties and limitations; and also allowed me to forgive myself for some failings. I am not a rather ill-adjusted and awkward neurotypical, but an autistic person who has worked rather effectively at adjusting to a world that is quite hostile to me.
I only wish that I had been aware of adult autism traits much earlier. I was only aware of the 'Rain Man'/'Sheldon Cooper' stereotypes before, completely by chance, I happened to stumble across a description of autistic traits and identified very many with my own characteristics.
As a potted biography, I am married with two children; I worked in bio-medical research in two universities for 24 years, and was then a manager of scientific facilities in a university research institute for another 10 years, before taking early retirement last year.
Martin,
I can say you're not the only one who felt the way you did, I've listened to many autistic people who were diagnosed during adulthood, each one shared in one way or another that finding out they're autistic brought them a sense of relief, and that their life finally made sense to them.
Near the start of the 21st century people began "The Neurodiversity Movement", in neurodiversity autism is an adjective instead of a disorder, all the labels of neurodevelopmental disorders can be viewed as adjectives instead of disorders according to neurodiversity.
The insight that diagnosis can bring is invaluable, I'm sure, to many adults. Now you have set my grammar pedant identity in motion , 'autism' is a noun! But, yes, I don't feel disordered - I'm more ordered than most people I know!