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New late diagnosis

JaimeSommers

Hi,

I am Jaime and I was diagnosed with Autism last week, I am 59, and I’m in a spin and it’s all very new to me. 

long story short, I thought I was just weird etc, and ended up being diagnosed last week, I don’t really know the terminology so apologising in advance if I get it wrong, I got some high scores so that must be a plus for something! I don’t really understand what they have said though and some things are wrong.

Not really sure what to do now to be honest, when I was told I checked the credentials of the person giving it, very highly qualified and sure she hadn’t made a mistake. It felt like millions of jigsaw pieces that are my life all clicked together and everything made sense. However, next day it was crash and burn, I couldn’t think, speak, sleep. I’ve recovered a bit but I’m really confused and I just don’t know what I do next, so here I am, you are on my list of resources so any comments welcome and thank you for listening.

Parents

  • What you have described is so familiar to me.  At ten years older than you and diagnosed less than three months ago, I, too, went into a very dark place for a couple of weeks.  This was extremely surprising, as I had suspected my condition for a few years, but it seems that suspicion and confirmation are two different things in my head.  Now, with the benefit of time and reflection, I am back on track, and even happy with my lot.  Knowledge, as they say, is powerful, and my period of self-analysis of the past was pretty self-destructive; now I know it was completely pointless.  Today I am able to see most triggers coming and deal with them before they become an issue, or remove myself from the situation.  That does not mean everything is hunky dory, far from it, as a recent foray through an airport proved, but having a diagnosis and following that with reading on the subject and joining the NAS website has been valuable in helping me navigate a neurotypical world.

    Your confusion will dissipate, if it hasn't already.  Similarly, next steps will reveal themselves; in fact, I'm betting you are well on the way to finding your place by now.  Take care of yourself and remember that there are plenty of people here who have been where you are and can help.

Reply

  • What you have described is so familiar to me.  At ten years older than you and diagnosed less than three months ago, I, too, went into a very dark place for a couple of weeks.  This was extremely surprising, as I had suspected my condition for a few years, but it seems that suspicion and confirmation are two different things in my head.  Now, with the benefit of time and reflection, I am back on track, and even happy with my lot.  Knowledge, as they say, is powerful, and my period of self-analysis of the past was pretty self-destructive; now I know it was completely pointless.  Today I am able to see most triggers coming and deal with them before they become an issue, or remove myself from the situation.  That does not mean everything is hunky dory, far from it, as a recent foray through an airport proved, but having a diagnosis and following that with reading on the subject and joining the NAS website has been valuable in helping me navigate a neurotypical world.

    Your confusion will dissipate, if it hasn't already.  Similarly, next steps will reveal themselves; in fact, I'm betting you are well on the way to finding your place by now.  Take care of yourself and remember that there are plenty of people here who have been where you are and can help.

Children
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