What was the straw that broke the camels back?

I was looking for a cause of all the various symptoms, both physical and psychological that were giving me so much grief and had been for so long, I found they all fit with autism and after a couple of years I sought diagnosis and this has been me ever since.

Pretty bad when you have to diagnose yourself though, that’s the thing with the so called high functioning autistic people, they have the ability to identify an issue and seek help, seems like most people end up doing the doctors job for them.

Pretty bad when you have to diagnose yourself though, that’s the thing with the so called high functioning autistic people, they have the ability to identify an issue and seek help, seems like most people end up doing the doctors job for them.

When I was diagnosed at the age of 50 ASC in women was still barely recognised, things have come a long way in the 12 years since then, when I was a child ASC wasn't recognised at all, I think if I were at school now I would have picked for something, learning difficulties at least if not ASC. I don't think it was just about being high functioning, just about my age and gender, I also knew quite a lot of ASC men who were quite resistant to the idea of women being ASC and didn't really believe that we could have the same thing but totally different symptoms, I think some of them thought that women were muscling in on something that was "theirs" and it was some kind of crazy feminist thing.

I wonder how many of us latelings have been diagnosed with cPTSD before or alongside ASC? I have cPTSD, I know the events leading to me having it, but I think ASC definately added to it, really not understanding the motivations of others and because of that all the guilt and blame I was attaching to myself because of it and holding onto and not being surprised when others said similar things just seemed to confirm my general weirdness. After I was diagnosed one of the first people I told was an ex who was always going on at me for being weird and embarassing, he was always telling me I should just stop doing it, it was with great pleasure that I told him I was autistic and really couldn't help it. But I think to many people and NT's in particular are far to worried what other people may be thinking about them, I think that can be as much of a disability as ASC, because it's equally limiting in what can do, or in this case allow yourself to do.