Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello, everyone. I did not expect to find myself here this evening, though I have had the thought before that I may be in some ways autistic. I do have social phobias - though I've learnt to manage these - I do have intense personal interests, which can over-dominate life! I can come across as blunt and rude. I am a bit obsessive about categorising things I care about (my own writing) though I'm naturally pretty disorganised in real life! ... And I'm not totally sure how pursuing a medical diagnosis at my age could benefit me. Although I am on some medication for depression and anxiety, and have just started counselling again, so maybe that's a silly thing to think! Are there any adults out there who have been through this - seeing some symptoms, not sure what to do, not sure if it's worth it?
Diagnosed at 59, brought me a lot of closure on issues and validation of my autistic traits.
There are a number of autism tests that you can complete online - AQ10, AQ50, RAADS-R - that will give you more indication as to whether or not you are likely to be autistic. If you score in the autistic range, they are also useful ammunition to take to your GP for a referral for autism assessment/diagnosis (a very long waiting time is common).