Older women on the forum? Your early years?

My reading indicates it gets better as we age. We as post menopausal women ca express ourselves more freely as we age into "Autie-hood". We can be your family, your a home.

I think we find it harder to mask because we have less at stake. We do't have to make a living or struggle to fit in any more.- this is my theory o masking.

Maybe before, until the 90's AD peeps may have died earlier from broken hearts as they shouted into the maw of an NT black hole where no one understood them, - especially so forwomen, for whom some much was expected in the way of conformity.

Now the girls have it so much better! and the boys! I am over joyed by that.

I hope you can find some help with your widow status. You are a brave a valiant creature. You are enough as you are on your own!

I  also went away to school, where I shared a dormitory. it  as absolutely vile,for I was bullied 24/7,the on ly time  that I enjoyed was when everyone had gone to sleep! Like I said before,just because Iam older,does not mean that I have not suffered as much as you, for ,when I was away at school,it was thought that girls just were stupid and thick,  for autism  was regarded as a male thing.

Thank you for sharing your profile. 

I did not have the problems of sharing a dorm as I went to a state school and was an only child so had my own room. However on the occasions when in youth activities and field trips I had to share a room I found that very difficult.

You mention discipline.  My family had a lot of expectations and there was no understanding then of being flexible with parenting unlike young autistics today. Discovering the reasons for difficulties in later years explains a lot. 

One thing I did benefit from was that my parents were interested in wildlife and gardening. These are things that have helped me a great deal.

Hi .  I am an older Autistic woman who is Widowed,have no family,and do not have any family living nearby.    I have lived in the ",Neurotypical  World," all my life, without any help at all. I am not yet ready for elderly care, for my brain is still capable of digesting new information! 

I would like to know why it is that  the experts seem to think that Autism gets more severe with Age?  

In my own case , I do not feel that this is the case at all, because,  I am still learning new things.,e.g using a computer comes to mind,even though, I do admit that Iam not completely Computer Saavey.!

Also,why is it, that people seem to think, that  Autistic people die earlier than Neurotypical people?  

The other thing that I would like to say, is why , also is it, that older people are supposed to find it harder to ,"Mask", than younger people?      

I would like to know if it could be possible for those of us,in the same position as myself, could get some support for being Widowed and Widowed?

Hullabaloo said:

Having something to focus has saved me so many times when I was in despair

Hullabaloo said:

But I'm very glad I chose to work on something everyday which gave me discipline, and that aided in my independence later on in life. Because no one abusive is going to teach you how to be independent and free. 

Copy all this, we taught ourselves to be independent of the expectations of others and found the "zone" where we could shine, even under a basket.

thanks for sharing.

It's an amazing privilege to be able to read your life's journey, considering that you've grown up hiding and masking yourself, and I really admire your courage to share what you've been through in your life.

I'm in my early 30s, but I feel like an old soul. I look and dress plainly, and I'd rather do introverted activities. 

I grew up abused, which was physical, mental, and emotional abuse, but not sexual abuse. I don't think that being abused creates a person who knows how to socially interact in a normal way, and although I had replayed social interactions in my mind countless times before, I've realized to not fault myself for not getting social interactions quite right, considering the people who raised me didn't have very good social skills either, and they're who I had to learn from. 

As a child, I cried almost everyday to the point that I got so fed up with wasting so much time, that I decided to learn a new skill and try to get better at it. Having something to focus has saved me so many times when I was in despair about the abuse and feeling trapped. But I'm very glad I chose to work on something everyday which gave me discipline, and that aided in my independence later on in life. Because no one abusive is going to teach you how to be independent and free. 

As an adult I got out of that situation, and I've had about a decade to recover from i., but recovering is still ongoing. I still enjoy picking up new skills and reading up on things. But right now, finances are tight,  so I can't afford to get all the supplies I need to do the things I want to do. But other than that life is a lot more peaceful than it used to be.