I am 71, so I always smile a little at "late diagnosed" at 21. I was diagnosed with ADHD at 45 and went through the elation, depression, and finally acceptance, back then. I always knew there was more to know. I self-diagnosed at 70 as autistic. At this age and retired there is no point to making it official. I relate most to the women who have been diagnosed both ADHD and autistic. I no longer have anyone in my family to discuss this with and with SDAM there is much I don't recall, but it is also clear that autism ran in my family. I tried to tell one of my son's recently and got the "but you don't seem autistic" response. That's ok. He is going through a lot of self-discovery himself right now. He also asked me why it mattered to even know. My answer was that I feel more compassion for myself. Acceptance came easily this time. Without diagnosis I still saw myself go through various stages of self-discovery and growth. It makes me very happy that so many are gaining understanding of themselves at an earlier age. I know most are still not getting the support and understanding they need from others, but I can tell you there has been progress since I was 21.Thank you for your channel. You are doing a great service. New subscriber.
Thanks for posting this series of videos. It is really helpful for me. I was diagnosed when I was 45 (am 49 now), and have tried to live life up until then just thinking I was weird. I now realise I've repressed my autism as much as possible throughout my life. I've found myself not understanding who I actually am. Since my diagnosis I've not really had much help at all, and have been left to just carry on stumbling through life, which has left me with huge depression and anxiety problems. It is great to hear that someone else is learning how to live with a diagnosis.
I felt like I had lost a huge part of who I thought I was when I was diagnosed at 47. I still sometimes mourn who I thought I was, and who I thought I would be, but a year later I am so relieved that I have my diagnosis.
I feel like the later the diagnosis, the more you think you ‘know who you are’, and thus have the rug pulled out from under you. It’s tough, but it’s who we’ve always been really, we just didn’t have the full context!
oof this is a really good perspective. i definitely went through the misdiagnosis rigamarole and for me it was purely a huge relief to find that i was autistic (apart from anger/grief around how life would've been if i'd known earlier) because i felt like it meant i didn't have to continue spending every waking moment trying to "fix" myself
Thanks for this video! I'm in the middle of the diagnostic process and I am learning to have to be honest with myself about my limitations and just respect them.
Thanks, Dana. I have an autistic son, and one day he asked me if I was autistic too, and in that moment the truth dawned. I didn't pause, or say: I'll ket back to you. I just said: yes, because I realised It was true..By the way, I was in a band too, and gave it up for the same reason. Also, there were often strobe lights, and I have epilepsy. Stay well.
I really apprecited this video. I'm one of those "diagnosed later in life" kinds, and while it was such a huge relief for me, I hadn't considered how others might not see it as a sense of relief or might mourn the idea of "normality". Thank you for that insight. Also, as a small warning. This video is apparently restricted and I can't understand why. Had to fight with youtube to get it to allow me to search out your video.
I can relate to what you say, was pushing myself to have friends, looking at others apparently enjoying staying together, but I was struggling and feeling not really engaged in the communication, also I was trying to be not like some of my family relatives which are apparently autistic, and afraid that people would say "if you know her father, no wonder she is a freak like that". Also to me was hard to accept that my autism doesn't include good memory or any ""cool" special interest. And what I can't accept is getting numb in social situations, nervous for apparently easy things.
Very helpful in relation to a late diagnosis... I wish I'd learned sooner. Can relate to the interests/needs being in conflict. Eg. I love animals, but almost all jobs involving them either exploit them in a cruel fashion, or involve blood/gore/bodily fluids and smells I just cannot handle (plus stressful/traumatic events) so I can't really work with them. It's a challenge.
I’m self diagnosed like 3 weeks ago at age 40, this video was awesome, thanks! :) What I’m stuck on is how non autistic folks brains work differently to ours! I swear I keep seeing little autistic traits in all sorts of peoples everywhere. Anyways.. more research to be conducted, I think!
I’m with ya, I think autistic traits can be so wide and varied that a lot of people show one or two, hence why you get the old ‘everyone is a little bit autistic’, which I think is totally incorrect myself, but I see where it comes from!
Already been loving IndieAndy for a good while now, fantastic content! Somehow managed to not be aware of Stephanie Bethany until now though, time to binge watch!
"Not being the stereotypical autistic person" is like the ableist version of "I'm not a trans trender I'm a normal trans person." I'm still struggling with accepting it despite knowing it's not true or rational.
If you’re going to accuse me of being ableist, you’re going to have to explain how exactly that is ableist? The stereotype of an autistic person is a male child, I am not a male child, thus I’m not the stereotypical autistic person?
My bad, didn't mean to imply this and don't even think that if you had internalized ableism that you were even saying that or something like it. I think it was me building off my thoughts and what you were talking about in the video and I just forgot to articulate some of my thoughts. What I meant was this feeling of not being stereotypically autistic (high masking, not being a boy etc.), therefore that means you shouldn't claim that you are autistic because that hurts "actual" autistic people (and that you aren't really autistic because of ableist beliefs). The phrases don't really line up because it's moreso the "trans trenders" saying they aren't trans (and implying that being trans is bad) instead of "real" trans people saying trenders aren't trans (which is a different type of internalized transphobia). It was just some connection I made, I didn't really flesh it out, my bad. Tldr, Don't think you're ableist, your content has been really helpful, keep it up.
I am 71, so I always smile a little at "late diagnosed" at 21. I was diagnosed with ADHD at 45 and went through the elation, depression, and finally acceptance, back then. I always knew there was more to know. I self-diagnosed at 70 as autistic. At this age and retired there is no point to making it official. I relate most to the women who have been diagnosed both ADHD and autistic. I no longer have anyone in my family to discuss this with and with SDAM there is much I don't recall, but it is also clear that autism ran in my family. I tried to tell one of my son's recently and got the "but you don't seem autistic" response. That's ok. He is going through a lot of self-discovery himself right now. He also asked me why it mattered to even know. My answer was that I feel more compassion for myself. Acceptance came easily this time. Without diagnosis I still saw myself go through various stages of self-discovery and growth. It makes me very happy that so many are gaining understanding of themselves at an earlier age. I know most are still not getting the support and understanding they need from others, but I can tell you there has been progress since I was 21.Thank you for your channel. You are doing a great service. New subscriber.
Thanks for posting this series of videos. It is really helpful for me. I was diagnosed when I was 45 (am 49 now), and have tried to live life up until then just thinking I was weird. I now realise I've repressed my autism as much as possible throughout my life. I've found myself not understanding who I actually am. Since my diagnosis I've not really had much help at all, and have been left to just carry on stumbling through life, which has left me with huge depression and anxiety problems.
It is great to hear that someone else is learning how to live with a diagnosis.
I felt like I had lost a huge part of who I thought I was when I was diagnosed at 47. I still sometimes mourn who I thought I was, and who I thought I would be, but a year later I am so relieved that I have my diagnosis.
I feel like the later the diagnosis, the more you think you ‘know who you are’, and thus have the rug pulled out from under you. It’s tough, but it’s who we’ve always been really, we just didn’t have the full context!
oof this is a really good perspective. i definitely went through the misdiagnosis rigamarole and for me it was purely a huge relief to find that i was autistic (apart from anger/grief around how life would've been if i'd known earlier) because i felt like it meant i didn't have to continue spending every waking moment trying to "fix" myself
Thanks for this video! I'm in the middle of the diagnostic process and I am learning to have to be honest with myself about my limitations and just respect them.
Thanks, Dana. I have an autistic son, and one day he asked me if I was autistic too, and in that moment the truth dawned. I didn't pause, or say: I'll ket back to you. I just said: yes, because I realised It was true..By the way, I was in a band too, and gave it up for the same reason. Also, there were often strobe lights, and I have epilepsy. Stay well.
I really apprecited this video. I'm one of those "diagnosed later in life" kinds, and while it was such a huge relief for me, I hadn't considered how others might not see it as a sense of relief or might mourn the idea of "normality". Thank you for that insight.
Also, as a small warning. This video is apparently restricted and I can't understand why. Had to fight with youtube to get it to allow me to search out your video.
I can relate to what you say, was pushing myself to have friends, looking at others apparently enjoying staying together, but I was struggling and feeling not really engaged in the communication, also I was trying to be not like some of my family relatives which are apparently autistic, and afraid that people would say "if you know her father, no wonder she is a freak like that". Also to me was hard to accept that my autism doesn't include good memory or any ""cool" special interest. And what I can't accept is getting numb in social situations, nervous for apparently easy things.
Very helpful in relation to a late diagnosis... I wish I'd learned sooner. Can relate to the interests/needs being in conflict. Eg. I love animals, but almost all jobs involving them either exploit them in a cruel fashion, or involve blood/gore/bodily fluids and smells I just cannot handle (plus stressful/traumatic events) so I can't really work with them. It's a challenge.
So glad I found your channel.
thank you for your channel you help me
I’m so glad you find it helpful!! 💕
I’m self diagnosed like 3 weeks ago at age 40, this video was awesome, thanks! :)
What I’m stuck on is how non autistic folks brains work differently to ours! I swear I keep seeing little autistic traits in all sorts of peoples everywhere. Anyways.. more research to be conducted, I think!
I’m with ya, I think autistic traits can be so wide and varied that a lot of people show one or two, hence why you get the old ‘everyone is a little bit autistic’, which I think is totally incorrect myself, but I see where it comes from!
Me too 21 as well
What an age 🥹😂
@@DanaAndersen where abouts in liverpool are you from I am from warrington
Hey Dana, you should check out Stephanie Bethany and IndieAndy! Maybe they can do a collab or two with you!
Already been loving IndieAndy for a good while now, fantastic content! Somehow managed to not be aware of Stephanie Bethany until now though, time to binge watch!
Yeah' i havent even been too s concert before' i dont know how autistic courtney love of Hole does it' oh' i do Heroine lol love hole
"Not being the stereotypical autistic person" is like the ableist version of "I'm not a trans trender I'm a normal trans person." I'm still struggling with accepting it despite knowing it's not true or rational.
If you’re going to accuse me of being ableist, you’re going to have to explain how exactly that is ableist? The stereotype of an autistic person is a male child, I am not a male child, thus I’m not the stereotypical autistic person?
My bad, didn't mean to imply this and don't even think that if you had internalized ableism that you were even saying that or something like it. I think it was me building off my thoughts and what you were talking about in the video and I just forgot to articulate some of my thoughts.
What I meant was this feeling of not being stereotypically autistic (high masking, not being a boy etc.), therefore that means you shouldn't claim that you are autistic because that hurts "actual" autistic people (and that you aren't really autistic because of ableist beliefs). The phrases don't really line up because it's moreso the "trans trenders" saying they aren't trans (and implying that being trans is bad) instead of "real" trans people saying trenders aren't trans (which is a different type of internalized transphobia). It was just some connection I made, I didn't really flesh it out, my bad.
Tldr, Don't think you're ableist, your content has been really helpful, keep it up.
Ahh, totally misunderstood, not your fault! Thank you for explaining!