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Just diagnosed at 57

LaraS

Hi. I'm so confused about everything at the moment. I was diagnosed yesterday with high functioning autism. All of my children are adults and have been diagnosed later in life, late teens early 20's all high functioning autism.

Now I've helped them all where I can through diagnosis and afterwards. But I sat and thought when the assessment was done, who helps me? Where do I turn? How do I process this?

I knew how to help with my children, still do. I studied everything I possibly could. 

Obviously high functioning autism has to come from somewhere. But although over the past year I've thought I could be? I was relieved them guilty them upset one straight after the other. I had time on holiday last year talking to my brother about childhood and started to look at my own life.

I feel like I need to take time away on my own just to try to process it all.

How do I process it all? I'm waiting for the ADHD assessment in November.

Thank you so much if you've read all this. I needed to write it down xx

Parents

  • Hi and welcome,

    I was diagnosed last year when I was 57. I knew nothing about autism until the day I heard two autistic people talking about it on the radio. My life all of a sudden made sense, it also started the ‘deep thinking’.

    I can’t say a diagnosis has led to any further help, I was just given a pamphlet, it has stopped a lot the imposter syndrome, I do sometimes feel I must have tricked them and can’t possibly be autistic, I then remember they are experts and the assessment was over a long period. I was given the result at the end of the last day as they had no doubts.  The thinking seems to be that we have got this far so we will continue to muddle on, that’s far from the truth, they only see what we choose for them to see.

    My only advice is to take it slowly, I’ve listened to a lot of podcasts and audiobooks by autistic people, it’s helped me to find an identity.

Reply

  • Hi and welcome,

    I was diagnosed last year when I was 57. I knew nothing about autism until the day I heard two autistic people talking about it on the radio. My life all of a sudden made sense, it also started the ‘deep thinking’.

    I can’t say a diagnosis has led to any further help, I was just given a pamphlet, it has stopped a lot the imposter syndrome, I do sometimes feel I must have tricked them and can’t possibly be autistic, I then remember they are experts and the assessment was over a long period. I was given the result at the end of the last day as they had no doubts.  The thinking seems to be that we have got this far so we will continue to muddle on, that’s far from the truth, they only see what we choose for them to see.

    My only advice is to take it slowly, I’ve listened to a lot of podcasts and audiobooks by autistic people, it’s helped me to find an identity.

Children
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