Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi! My name is Madge, I'm 44 and live in Sheffield. Got my diagnosis last week which is really exciting! My partner and family are cool about it, in fact my nephew and probably dad have it too. Would love to make some new friends on here! really want to get involved with the autistic community and make a positive difference. I teach piano for a living and I'm a singer/songwriter, I released an album last year. I'm *** and non-binary which means I don't really feel female or male, somewhere inbetween. My partner also feels this way although she's neurotypical. A friend bought me the book "Aspergirls" which is brilliant, not read it all yet but it really describes me!
Welcome funkiepiano,
You're in good company here - there are quite a few of us who weren't diagnosed until our forties and beyond. Just a couple of months ago a 45y.o. for me.
It's great that you feel that your diagnosis is a positive revelation, and wonderful that your partner and family are so supportive.
It's interesting to me how many autistic adults seem to be keen musicians and/or visual artists. I'm a drummer and bass player myself, and a keen photographer. It seems to be that, for many of us, doing something creative is an excellent way to find some inner calm and peace when the world around us feels a bit overwhelming. There are probably enough of us here to get a pretty impressive band together if we weren't scattered all over the country!
Love what you say about wanting to make a positive difference. There seem to be very few "formal" resources for older adults on the spectrum, so being able to get together in places like this to mutally support each other is a fantastic thing. It often brings me to tears when people write back to say that a post of mine has helped them, after so many years before diagnosis of feeling that I've been a failure with nothing to offer the world. And the help that I've received from so many kind, generous people makes the world seem so much less frightening than it used to!
Best wishes.