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Female 67 years old. Should I get assessment?

Ice Swimmer

Hi

I am trying to decide whether to get a formal  assessment or not.
Due to a number of events and conversation, I have reviewed my life and taken some online autism tests. In the tests I score highly. I have been shocked by how high, but I have a distrust of online tests, even though I believe I have only used ones which are offered by reputable groups with academic backing as far as I can tell.
I am 67 year old woman. If I was 20 years younger, I would definitely get tested as a diagnosis can help in the workplace. But, I am now retired and I can't help thinking that the meagre resources available should be used by those who will get the most benefit - ideally children. I have considered a private assessment but I have only seen 4 figure sums quoted, which is more than I can afford.
A diagnosis of autism would explain some character traits and a number of the difficulties I have had in life: accusations of being abrupt, finding social situations and making eye contact difficult, having hobbies, activities and interests that I focus on obsessively for a time, liking patterns which led to a love of Mathematics, being a "loner", disliking certain food combinations (e.g. custard and ice cream), meltdowns etc. It could also help with my mental health (hospitalised - including 2 sections - 4 times for extremely severe depression and anxiety + social care) and the type of support I get.
Parents

  • Hi, I'm male and was diagnosed at 67 after a lifetime of being misunderstood, misdiagnosed and misinformed.

    I always knew I had something more than just 'anxiety' and having recently discovered that stimming had a name (I'd been doing it all my life, mostly in private as the kids used to tease me for doing it in school).  I  then read that folk on the spectrum also stimmed, and things started to fall into place. I read a few books on autism and kept finding myself in the pages so went for an assessment.

    Result: ASD High Functioning.

    That was four years ago and it was the best thing I ever did. Parts of my past are still falling into place, I now understand Ben so much better than I ever did before .

    There may be no cure and no treatment, but knowledge has brought me to a much quieter and happier place.

    If you go ahead with a formal assessment (and that decision is yours alone) then I hope you find it as useful as I have.

    Ben

  • in reply to Ben

    I am a 60 year old woman, diagnosed in March this year. I have also skimmed all of my life ( rocking and hand flapping mainly) in private. I have had years of struggle and fear and believing myself to be weird and unloveable. The diagnosis has helped to make sense of things but I am still struggling to come to terms with it and to know how to live differently and in a more honest way because of it, but I don’t regret it.

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  • in reply to Ben

    I am a 60 year old woman, diagnosed in March this year. I have also skimmed all of my life ( rocking and hand flapping mainly) in private. I have had years of struggle and fear and believing myself to be weird and unloveable. The diagnosis has helped to make sense of things but I am still struggling to come to terms with it and to know how to live differently and in a more honest way because of it, but I don’t regret it.

Children