How Adult Autism Goes Undetected 

FYI - Many people who are Autistic hate the Autism Speaks organization, as they are not helpful and have even been harmful. Also, many people who are Autistic, such as myself, are perfectly fine with labels and even prefer being called Autistic or Aspie rather than a 'Person with Autism'.

While legal protection from being fired for being different is a great thing in theory, in practice the employer will just come up with some other excuse to get rid of you.

I was in speech class in elementary school and learning support until I graduated without anyone mentioning anything to me about Autism. Teachers would even joke about how I couldn’t make eye contact. On the playground as a very young kid I would go up and down the same slide alone and lined up 20 minutes before they blew the whistle to go back inside. The idea “I went through school and wasn’t diagnosed so I must not be” is wrong. The resources for early diagnosis still aren’t there and definitely weren’t there if you are an adult now

I got diagnosed at 42 (also ADHD the year before that) due to a massive autistic burnout, slight regression and consequent looking for answers. I atest that the self discovery and acceptance after diagnoses is absolute gamechanger. And ADHD meds lol.

I liked how you spoke about neuro-divergency and the relationship of ADHD and autism...makes sense, but that rocked me a bit. I was diagnosed with ADHD last fall at 28. I'm still on the journey of better understanding myself and my needs, and this video gave me more to think about ❤

As a parent and grandparent of individuals with autism I find that using high functioning and lower functioning helps people understand them better. I understand that some people may find it offensive but, unfortunately many people have less exposure to those with autism or neuro divergent individuals and don't understand. I am not a teacher but work in a school and many of my coworkers see the children who are severely affected by autism and they see my son who has a college degree and can drive and believe he can't be autistic because he can do so much! I will then use the high functioning or lower functioning to those who are not as educated using it as an opportunity to teach them and explain that it is a spectrum disorder and how it can vary widely from person to person and many have learned to mask in order to get through life.

FYI the word ‘neurodiversity’ refers to the entirety of human cognition styles, just as cultural diversity refers to the entirety of human cultures and just as biodiversity refers to the entirety of biological life on the planet. To be neurodivergent is to diverge from what is the predominant so called ‘norm’: one cannot have neurodiversity or be neurodiverse: a room full of people, or a school, or a group of board members can.

This was an exceptionally well crafted video for such a short duration. It's a really challenging topic and there's so much misunderstanding out there. Whomever made this video should be very proud. Thank you

Thank you for a thoughtful, and non-judgmental, video on late diagnosis of ASD. I was diagnosed at 57 and it has changed my life for the better in many ways. I would encourage anyone who has come to the realization that they may be autistic to take the time and effort to seek testing by a qualified professional.

I was diagnosed at 53 and as greatly relieved. It explained so much. I had a horrible time as a teenager & young adult.

low/ high functioning isnt offensive to me, as i understand high functioning refers to how well does one mask themselves as a NT

Tell me all about it. I was diagnosed in 2008 and I was 44 by that time. My therapist said, "huh, I wonder how everyone missed that". When I showed my diagnosis to all my friends the universal response was, "yeah, that explains a lot."

The problem with having Autism is that most people in society hold us to a double standard. Students and teachers alike expect us Autists to act appropriate while they think they have an excuse not to. Most of us are pigeonholed into special ed classes merely because of our diagnosis. If you don't treat an Autist like a human being, it's likely they'll never grow into one.

I’m a 39 year old woman, who might be autistic or neurodivergent… So I made an appointment with a psychiatrist to start the process for an assessment - she literally told me “what is the point of knowing” & wanted to push depression meds that have never worked for me… I have both variations of the MTHFR gene mutation... I have been diagnosed with social anxiety.... I started kindergarten at six years old because I didn’t interact or play with other children - I was in my own imaginary world.... kids on the bus used to call me mute. Highly sensitive person... The signs were all there, nobody cared to see them - or cares to see them now. So many women have fallen thru the cracks feeling broken

As someone with an autistic niece, this was definitely educational.

I'm 64 and cannot find a single provider to evaluate and diagnose me in the greater Seattle, WA area. The University of Washington tells adults to simply self-diagnose because they don't have anyone to do the assessments!

Remember that autism is a NEUROTYPE and that many autistic people prefer the social diagram of disability (AKA autistic people aren't disabled, but the society we are living in is disabling). Just because an autistic person's speech mannerisms may mirror a child's, that does not mean this autistic person has the same intelligence level as one. They may be more intelligent & socially aware than you, but express themselves in simplistic language & memorized scripts. It's not nice to be talked to like an idiot for not following social rules that seem pointless to you. Diagnosis is not important in this community, especially considering how many of us live in countries like the US that not only do not have free healthcare, but are rampant with discrimination. Imagine going to your doctor, paying thousands of dollars that you saved for months to be tested for a medical condition, only for them to say "I refuse to test you because you made eye contact with me." This is the lived reality for many autistic people. The autistic community does not ask for much from the world. Our accomodation requests are usually quite simple and easy to follow. Please respect that & respect us.

I really did not think that I could have it, for a while, until having it brought up by my sister that works with kids that have Autism etc., and having met some friends. This video is really enlightening and really makes me reconsider differently. Thank you ❤.

I'm 74, in the last decade started to discover the likelihood that my lifetime difficulties are related to this. In my investigations I got so far as having seen a specialist psychiatrist, who went over my history with me. He told me that with the evidence I showed him it is highly likely I am autistic. The only thing that stopped me going further is the cost of the formal test to a pensioner. There are no extra benefits to going that last step except to be able to show proof to non believers who really don't see the history of failure. This isn't a complaint from me. I am just presenting data in hopes there might be a wider understanding to the community. Personally at least I have an explanation that eases my own self judgement. I'm blessed I am still here after a lifetime thinking I was worthless. Now I know I was able to make some headway with what I had to work with. Self blame is hard to live with. I at least know I have taken advantage of some of my giftedness for others. My advice is look for the positives in others and find ways to encourage and build esteem.

An Autism geriatric expert at Duke University says the 1 in 44 Autism rate DOES apply to older Autistic adults, too. You need to check your facts !

Random but sis can I just say I LOVE your hair! Esp the colour and this style, your curls and coils are POPPING! Also great to see WoC in these videos about neurodivergence! ❤ Ah just finished this, I'm so glad you guys made these and discussed cultural sensitivities, training and how it impacts both professionals and ND folk! 🙏🏾❤️

Great coverage about autism! My son has ASD and it has been trying to figure out what works and love him in the process as all of us grow together.

I got diagnosed at 29 and almost extinguished myself from life multiple times growing up. I wonder how much the ASD suicide statistics would change if many of us weren't missed as kids.

Getting a Whole Genome Sequencing done and then having access to all of SNPedia allowed me to read about all of my genes. Seeing “selective mutism” in print and the other autistic variants was one step in helping me gain control over my life. My goal is for all autistics to have a job/income in a 100% worker owned and managed company.

I've been specifically told that I'm too old to be evaluated for ASD.

After learning more about myself, I’m just going to say that saying “this devalues an autistic person’s experience” is ridiculous. Most people that are autistic just want to know why they process things differently, but it’s not my entire being or identity. It doesn’t devalue anything. I hope that we can get to a point where people understand that people think or process differently without walking walking on eggshells. We all want to be treated normally. Treating autistic people like we can’t take words or jokes is absolutely ridiculous.

Wait, "the spectrum" includes ADHD too? I've never heard of that. I mean I've heard of people talking about ADHD and other types of neurodiversity existing on a spectrum, but usually if the word "spectrum" is used without context I take it to be related to autism. Also, ADHD and autism have a lot of overlap and share traits but are not the same thing. Whereas autism and Asperger's are basically the same disorder--as in, Asperger's was an old diagnostic term for "mild" autism, while the word "autism" was reserved for more "severe" (i.e. nonverbal) cases. The word Asperger's is still used colloquially but is no longer a diagnosis that is given; instead, people who would have been diagnosed with Asperger's are now diagnosed autism as well. It sounds exactly as silly as saying "Russia, the U.S.S.R, and Hungary are all closely related countries in Eastern Europe."

As someone recently diagnosed and also have a little brother who is high functioning, don't worry about the language. We don't care. People like the woman in the video need to stop putting so much emphasis on language policing and more on understanding so when we do something weird you understand we aren't trying to offend you. We just can't help it.

I know lots of people on the spectrum who identify as high functioning, and don't buy into this left-wing language policing nonsense.

I studied advanced math in university... a spectrum does NOT have to be considered a negative term unless you don't understand the amazing power we have unlocked by using a certain wavelength spectrum 😅 (ie radio, visible light, wifi, etc)

How does autism and IQ work together? I talked to my psychologist about having issue talking with people and panic attacks, not being able to get anything done. Went to get basic neurological testing, they told my IQ scores being low to mid 120s means "too smart" to need an ADHD or autism assessment. I was diagnosed as Social Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Mood Disorder Not Otherwise Specified and been doing therapy for the last year. It's weird cause when therapist talk about Social Anxiety, that sounds like a different issue than how I feel, so therapy hasn't gone well and med make me feel awful, and I'm questioning now if I even have anxiety.

There is still official discrimination against Autism in some countries, particularly when it comes to immigration into these countries for those diagnosed with autism spectrum. These are outlined here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discrimination_against_autistic_people Parts of Australia recently passed a law that means anyone with autism that has a driver's licence (regardless of how long you have been driving) will basically have it cancelled until they can be tested by qualified clinicians while driving, who can state that the person will not have a meltdown while behind the wheel. Also being a pilot is extremely difficult for those diagnosed with autism in the USA as they need to have far more stringent testing than those not so diagnosed. Just some things to be aware if you think you will ever want to be involved in any of these areas.

This is why some people (including myself) cannot hold down a job for long. Masking is exhausting. After several months, I'd be depleted. Yet, modern society is structured in a way that rewards those who possess hustle, who can demonstrate productivity, and ultimately produce a positive economic benefit.

That was very informative!

I want to start a club for gifted people with disabilities. Who's with me?

It recently occurred to me that my husband may be on the spectrum. He was diagnosed with ADHD about 10 years ago and started medication which has really helped. But there’s a way he has of not being able to connect emotionally. Any meaningful conversation just stops and he doesn’t understand no matter how I explain it. But he would never consider that diagnosis for himself. He won’t go see a therapist. I’m looking around to see what’s next.

My diagnosis started with an aptitude test, add test, and having an i.q rated as 189. At first I thought I was just add with weird quirks, however, a new doctor that I had seen while in the hospital recognized symptoms outside add and claimed it was Asperger's and add. I was 40 years old when I discovered that I also had autism.

A few years back, (I'm 43) i (finally) got diagnosed with add. But i cant stop the feeling that that's not (entirely) it. I suffer from depressions a lot and i am locking myself out from everything outside my house. I have a really hard time dealing with people, even if i love them. It is getting worse too. I am just in my bed the whole time now and i dont know how to change it. I know it hurts people around me to see me like this and that knowledge makes it even worse. I dont want to give up, because i feel i just haven't found my place yet and it is there somewhere, but it gets heavier to bear. I have lost faith in medical support, but maybe that is because I never got treated for the right reasons... I just wanted to get that off my chest, sorry

Being autistic is not a disease or caused by any substance X. Its a phenotype - and inherited, just like having blue eyes. It is rare (about 1-3% of people), but that also means it established itself over hundred thousand of years. It has a place among human variations - just like being non-heterosexual. As autistic people we deserve to be proud of it & for it to be recognized by society as such.

Diagnosed at age 50. It's been 4 years and I'm still trying to sort out where I stand with ASD.

I never camaflauged / masked as a kid...but I am from the "lost generation" when there was no testing for it. It was just ignored back then by teachers, especially since I was well behaved (I was in the Honor Society × had perfect attendance all the years through school)... But I never talked in class (because it was against the school rules), I had 0 friends, I never socialized with any classmates (they didnt want to socialize with me as I was "weird"), I remember stuttering when I was in grade school but it later went away in 3rd or 4th grade, and I was bullied just awfully - mainly by the other girls. I was ostracized. But no one back then knew about it. And even if they did it wouldnt matter as I was being abused / neglected at home. I only saw a doctor 5 times from the time of being born to graduating 12th grade. A few of those times was because the high school sent letters saying "you are required to get X vaccine". I am pretty sure my mother was autistic too. And my grandmother hated how "weird" she was. But I was diagnosed in 2020 and I am 52 now. The very first visit to a "shrink" for 20 minutes he KNEW I had autism right away. But back in the 70s and 80s no one knew what it was. They only knew about kids with.... Downs syndrome I think it is called? Kids who were clearly memtally disadvantaged. But as a very quiet girl who caused 0 fuss I flew under the radar as an Aspie. They never did anything about the bullying either. I have C-PTSD today. And anxiety disorder. Plus tons of food allergies (including celiac + corn allergy) + MCAS (I have hEDS too). Living on a few foods only.. Mainly doing carnivore.

Thank you for this video and representation of this topic and issue. Though the music and style of presentation made me really anxious :/. It felt High energy damatic

I thought this was going to be a first hand account from an Autistic person. A huge pet peeve of mine is Allistic people speaking as experts on our behalf. They are always off base

The background beat/noise on this video is triggering. Good lord!

Who do I see to get a proper diagnosis

You know what would really be helpful to people with ASD? If they didn't have ASD. All people have inate value, but we shouldn't accept the notion that it's okay. These people need help, and treating the disorder like it's not a disorder isn't helpful. The goal should be a cure or, at least, determining what exactly causes it. If there was a pill that I could give my children to make it go away, I wouldn't hesitate. I say this after being awake since 3:00am with my daughter who suffers through life because of this disorder. She's scarred and bruised from fits and meltdowns that she clearly wishes would go away. There are so many problems with this video and the hateful language that it uses.

I personally found your distinction of different autism terms as offensive; distracting, unhelpful and disengaging. From my autistic experience I see the world in literal terms and I find no offense from how it gets described. There's already enough confusion around autism injecting concepts of offense only makes it more difficult to understand what's really going on. The concept of offense you are using is a process of social jockeying which in my experience autistic people have trouble caring about, perhaps this video is actually aimed at neurotypical people.

1:00 Er, since when is "being offended" not one's own responsibility? Why police others' language rather than just provide respectful terms? 👎

Very informative, thanks!

This was an amazing video. Thank you.

Please please please get rid of the background music while people are talking. It's incredibley difficult to focus on and process what is being said with this extra unnecessary stimulartory input. #actuallyaudhd

the person who assessed me said it was hard to diagnose because I had learned to only say what people wanted to hear,and my father has it but isn't diagnosed and for my brother goes the same thing

Im stumped, personally. I relate a lot to what my boyfriend, who is autistic, struggles with. My first part of testing concluded I had traits but nothing definitive. I think part of that had to do with me not having a great memory of my childhood. Its very blurry and my familial lines arent helpful (everything under the rug). I have yet to follow up with the neuropsych. Has anyone else gone through this?

If you want to know if you are autistic or not, watch this video on normal speed.

I am in my 40s and have come to terms I am autistic. Been told for years I am but I thought nah.

Autism is hard to understand fpr those who have it and those who don't. The words we use have limits and differences in exerience.

Okay. I've often wondered if I am slightly autistic. I have a lot of worrisome feelings in situations that others seem to be fine in or paranoid/shy emotions with existing people I know very well, but I haven't seen in a month or more. I get a rush of adrenaline when argumentation starts between two people, and they start yelling. I also know, but don't go around saying that: "I am super smart" because that would be unrealistic to believe, but I have higher than average intelligence than most average people. But that is due to having to overanalyze everything. Thus, I have learned a lot over time. That being said! I have masked my individualism to have acceptance in society and follow the broad social narratives people prefer to talk about to adjust and fit in. Do most people analyze this as "social narratives"....probably not. Do people mask their "real self" to fit in? All the time. That is NOT unique to Autism, or Neurodivergent (which I do not agree with since it was not officially brought towards a panel of doctors and specialists to be created. It is a power word for a movement). Also, I had to change to suit the world around me. I no longer try to fit in by faking a personality I am not, truly inside, anymore, but there is a reality. And things change in reality. Every single human is scared and hide their true feelings at times to not appear weak or vulnerable in front of others. Most of the psychological problems in the world can be attributed to the insecurity of an individual, I believe. Sometimes, we have to face the music to become accustomed to it as hard as that may be to swallow. Especially when faced with it, you want to curl up in the fetal position, cry like a baby, and hope someone comes to save you. I think everyone feels like yhat at times. Maybe someone who "actually has autism" to even a more extreme degree. But Autism diagnosises are coming out of the wool-works now, and I think it is just some people not willing to face their fears, developing personality disorders unconsciously for coping mechanisms, and hiding behind a label. Before we just label and say, "Here's the meds or the safety net", maybe we should be empowering individuals to take the steps and face those things that scare them by being honest and realistic. That they have much more power than they think they do. Oh PS; The reason it may be more leaned towards "white-males" is because Nordic bloodlines statistically have higher rates of neurological disorders and being a Male, agressive behaviors are born into our genetics. The "shy" behaviors show up a lot quicker I would presume.

I agree, i felt the same way (different).

92 replies I can totally relate to and it’s just how I feel and I am 29 still have not got diagnosed. And I could never communicate good with my family always stressed out and misunderstanding one another

I am over 70 and am in the process of being diagnosed. It is never too late to learn about who you are. Thank you for this video; I will share it

I grew up undiagnosed and I had an awful time as a teenager, I was extremely depressed and anxious and pretty much gave up on life. None of my family acknowledged my disability even when professionals told them I needed to be tested. School didn't care either. I was diagnosed at age 20, and it took me 4 years to be diagnosed. I think there needs to be more funding for autistic adults, I missed so much support and there's just not much help for adults like me.

I grew up undiagnosed. The school wanted my brother tested for ADHD and when my mom took him to the doctor, for every assessment question they asked, my mom answered "No, but his sister does" until finally the doctor said, it sounds more like you need to bring your daughter in for assessment. She never did. It was the early 80's and neurodivergency was still very stigmatized. She didn't want a "special child" so she just ignored this advice. I'm now over 40 and realize I have BOTH ADHD and Autism (only compounding my struggles). But, because I was a girl and was the inattentive version of ADHD and masked so effectively, I just fell off the radar. I was just the girl "not applying myself" or "not using time wisely". So, of course with no help or understanding in school I began struggling. Until High School when I just couldn't take it anymore and dropped out. I left home at 15 and started doing street drugs (which I now realize was my attempt to self medicate). I have been clean for over 20 years now, but none of my symptoms ever went away. I just learned to mask even harder (which has given me depression and left me exhausted and fatigued constantly). So, here I am now 40 years old. I never got an education (because the system isn't set up for my style of learning) and I have only ever been able to get minimum wage jobs, that I STILL can't cope with. I'm uninsured because minimum wage jobs don't give insurance and even if and when they did, I still couldn't afford the co-pay for the doctors on my wages. I can barely make it paycheck to paycheck to just survive. No way I can afford to get ANY diagnoses. I am completely burnt out after masking for 40 years and at this point I would rather put a bullet through my head than have to "conform" another day, just to go to a low paying job. But without a diagnoses, I can't get on disability, and without money, I can't get that diagnoses. I have fallen through EVERY crack in society and no one cares.

I'm not high functioning. I'm high masking.

I’m one of the little girls that learned quickly how to acquiesce to societal expectations and just recently (at 43) realized I’m autistic. It’s so FREEING, and I’m giving my child-self all the love and acceptance she deserved.

Even in California, my spouse went to an authority referred to by our insurance and they were accessed as NOT having autism because they had a history of successful employment and romantic relationships.... they luckily were not so invalidated that they didn't* follow up with a second assessment. Going through a second assessment finally gave them a confirmed diagnosis.

Thank you so much for this episode. It is so important to understand that Autism doesn't disappear in adults and that some differences don't need to be "fixed", just accepted and treated with respect.

Oh pbs please please please reexamine your relationship to Autism Speaks. They bring so much harm to disenfranchised peoples.

My family were all the time angry at me because they wanted to act normal but they never asked me if I was ok.

I'm a female, self-diagnosed at 75. I'm learning more about myself through RU-vid videos. I might get my doc to refer me for counseling. Too late to bother with formal diagnosis, not to mention costs. I could have used the help when I was working, though. I accomplished a lot, but didn't enjoy it or feel supported or liked. Never knew if people even liked me most of the time. Was just grateful they were nice or ignored me.

Psychedelics are just an exceptional mental health breakthrough. It's quite fascinating how effective they are against depression and anxiety. Saved my life.

I am 49 and was just diagnosed in January. It was a huge relief because I could finally stop feeling like a failed neurotypical who is bad at life. I’m currently recovering from years of burnout and multiple chronic illnesses and it helps so much to understand how masking, people pleasing, and self loathing has lead me here. I can finally accept who I am and it’s been life changing.

Frankly I decided not to wait. I took the Baron-Cohen test online. I scored in the range. Since then I have watched videos by autistic people and had tremendous insights. It made a huge difference to confirm it for myself. I am 71 - I really don’t have the time to wait around.

I took the screener last year and scored pretty high on it. I realized that I've exhibited a lot of traits related to ASD and tried to get diagnosed. The specialist at the hospital refused to see me. The therapists kept asking me "what does it mean to you to be diagnosed?" Without the diagnosis, people don't believe me or say that it's all in my head. I've had career and relationship derailments over it, and me and both my parents agree I may be ASD. It's so frustrating.

I was diagnosed in my early 50s after experiencing 3 long-term relationships where I couldn’t figure out why my partners behaved as they did-e.g., reading into what I said (very wrongly for the most part), etc. It took me a while after the diagnosis to realise that I miss most indirect communication. I cannot take a hint; I can sometimes tell when someone’s hinting but I can almost never figure out what they want. No doubt my partners thought I knew what they were saying and was simply choosing to ignore them. That would explain their reactions to me. I always knew that most people were indirect and though I understand the evolutionary reason for this, I don’t know why people feel so compelled to be so indirect today. And it’s almost impossible for me to be indirect and I think partners interpreted this as my being unnecessarily direct when it’s absolutely necessary because figuring out how to be direct is incredibly difficult for me in most situations (save for situations like, “Do I look fat in these jeans?” which I learned how to deal wit from watching stand up comedy) I do know that I can’t interpret indirect communication unless it is obviously insulting (and that is only because people provide many more clues that they’re being intentionally insulting). I actually have no idea how much of it goes over my head. I think it might be a lot. I might seem incredibly clueless, but I was a professional, considered to be astute, and found myself in a field where I could do well because my work required direct communication and people’s motivations at work are easier to figure out. My success likely underscored to my partners that I was jerking them around when I was clueless, obtuse. I think when I tried to check things out-figure out what was happening in our dynamic-they thought I was being disingenuous. Like, “You’re obviously smart and so _____.” Fill in some negative interpretation for my not responding as expected. I know I felt alien early in life; even in my teen years I would tell friends that I must have been hiding behind the door when the pamphlet on _____ was handed out. These were generally pamphlets on social interactions. Eventually everyone I know has told me I am “very weird.” This, despite liking me and finding the way I think interesting.

Autism Speaks listed in the description as a source? Oh yikes... 🙅‍♂️

When i was a child I was simply not noticed. I wasn't non-verbal, but I had learned that when I did speak, I often found myself in trouble. I never understood social cues so I masked and I tried to be as inconspicuous as possible. Now I am retired and 66. I don't need a diagnosis at this point but I am happy to have learned a lot about myself and comfortable with the understanding that I am autistic. I am lucky that I worked much of my career in an organization that valued individuality and sought to put people in positions where they could leverage their strengths. Still, I took on responsibilities that were extremely stressful for me not knowing why I was so unhappy and unhealthy so much of the time. I survived because I had support for things I wasn't even really aware of in myself, and because one person did notice that I struggled with things like conference calls that other people had no trouble with and he offered me his office whenever he wasn't there. I am lucky to have made it all the way through the experience of not knowing why I was so misaligned with the world around me and now I feel like it's ok to be myself and drop the mask. The irony of all this is that I now live in Japan, where wearing actual, physical masks is so accepted that it is a constant presence in everybody around me. Also, masking in the way that neurodivergent people do it is a part of Japanese social norms so everybody is doing it to a greater extent than you see in other countries. It's a problem for Japanese people that they are pressured relentlessly to hide their personalities in public and work environments, but I think it also makes people more sensitized to the struggles other people experience. I feel more accepted here and I love my life in ways that I never allowed myself to do outside of Japan.

Aspergers is an outdated term, it is also just included in ASD. My son masks hard and it is exhausting for him.

Here’s a tip: many autistic people have experienced quite a bit of trauma (particularly if not diagnosed as children, we can be experienced as difficult, be scapegoated, abused, bullied, etc.) and therapists might want to make sure that we have easy access to the door of their office. Meaning, I ought not have to walk past the therapist (in any way feel blocked) if the therapist triggers me in the session. I had a trauma therapist trigger me two times in one month (and he failed to notice this both times), and his chair was right next to the door with me sat opposite him. I was literally in panic mode because of the chair positions. Find a different room or reconfigured it to help the therapist also feel safe.

I recently saw a great TEDX talk on autism that i believe was done by Kip. I just turned 62, and in Dec I began to suspect that I'm autistic. So I'm reading and watching everything I can to learn if I'm on the right track, and according to each of the AQ tests I've taken to see if I'm in the ballpark have shown that it's "highly likely" that I am. Thanks so much!

Figuring out that I am autistic made my life 100% better.

Excellent video. Thank you for raising awareness about autism. It's important for people to understand that autistic people are not broken or diseased and they don’t need to be "cured." Differently-wired people need acceptance and to be treated equitably and with respect.

In regards to the long waiting list for assessment it’s amazing an autistic child can spot the other autistic child in a large group in a matter of seconds.

I'm a little sketched out by the Autism Speaks endorsement in the description. I clicked on this, thinking it might be a good resource for family. But I'll keep looking.

I was diagnosed at the end of February I just turned 33 in November I have been failed in so many ways but I’m so sad with how much time was lost to feeling alone

I was at a wedding for my sibling and the BIL gave one of the most uncomfortable speech I've ever experienced (he obliviously offended our family in both raising my lil bro and our religious practices). While being horrified my therapist brain was also going....wait a sec, this sounds familiar. It sounds like autism. when the mom gave a public explanation with further examples of his "special communication style" that also sounded classically autistic I was almost certain this young man was living his life with undiagnosed autism. He'd been homeschooled for most of his childhood, so likely slipped through the radar from that. I told my bro to talk to the family to see he could get diagnosed in hopes it could help him better navigate the world around him. It can make a world of difference to have a name and thus resources/understanding open up to you.

Just learning this is a possibility for me. I will say sounds are big for me and the thumping, beating sound in your video and even some of the music has caused me to turn off this video. Rethink this please!

I was told by multiple medical professionals that it is impossible to get diagnosed with autism as an adult. I'm shocked, honestly.

The problem with the concept of "neurodiversity" is that it doesn't describe the condition itself, it defines it solely as a deviation from the norm. In a society of autists, they would be "neurotypicals". I don't define myself as "diverse", I'm an autist.

One issue (for me personally) is that in the DSM IV, I was solidly in the category of having Asperger's Syndrome. However, in the DSM V, Asperger's is gone, and now I'm ASD. For me, the clinician was the one who explained to me that "Asperger's is a high-functioning form of autism". Not trying to offend anyone, just trying to live my own life with an adult Asperger's / ASD diagnosis.

Thank you for this!!!! I’m in tears… I left the medical field from burnout and I have been able to understand my autistic son after finding out I AM AUTISTIC…

Did you mean to say that the ratio of men:women on the spectrum is 3:4? That is, that there are 33% more women with autism than men? Do you have a source for that? I'm seeing a few people who go as high as 2:1, but I can't find anyone else who agrees with 4:3, much less the inverse.

I grew up in the 1970s when we were just labeled as "difficult" and despite showing a lot of autistic behavior since pre-school, my mother refused to get me a diagnosis and counseling, and teachers did nothing to help me as well. As an adult, I was constantly and consistently diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, and other illnesses. It wasn't until my late 40s that a LCSW said "hey, I think you might be on the spectrum" and I finally got the proper (and legal) diagnosis. Unfortunately, growing up with zero support leaves you unable to care for yourself and 'deal with things' as an adult. My job prognosis is poor, so I'll probably be on disability the rest of my life despite having a high IQ. In other words, you can't teach a dog new tricks and I'm forever damaged goods.

When I had my ADHD evaluation last year, I asked about autism screening. I was told by the assessor they couldn't do an assessment because there was no one who could attest to my childhood and having an autism Dx at my age (61) wouldn't be helpful.

I find it ever more difficult to find channels without an underlying soundtrack/senseless noise/music when someone is talking. Very distracting and annoying.

In 2008 or 2009 I realized that autism explained my whole childhood and all the struggles I was having as a young adult. After I gave the nurse practitioner a long list of history and symptoms, my neurologist looked at all of it and said autism wasn't something a woman in her 20s could have. Just confidently wrong. They treated me like a hypochondriac for the rest of the time I was obligated to be their patient and never followed up on my developing autoimmune disease. Medical gaslighting and incompetence.

"Autism Spectrum Disorder is not a disorder." "Neurodivergence isn't a divergence." Uhh, I'm sorry, but what? I don't think that's how it works.

I grew up undiagnosed and it was obvious imao. My dad literally used to say “your school skills have always been above average, but your social skills have always been really behind.” Hmmmmm I WoNdEr wHy. I literally have been told I “talk like a professor” because I have always have talked with an abnormally big vocabulary. Someone doing well in school doesn’t mean they can’t be struggling!

Person undiagnosed with autism needs to cough up money which they struggle to make. Please make it make sense!!!

Not so much a challenge as yet more validation. Even the doctor who handles my ADHD doesn't see a reason for me to be so concerned for being told I'm autistic, and I've tried to explain its a combination of self-validation; that I'm not crazy or pretending to be different, and validation so my mom will be supportive instead of dismissive - especially since she wants me to travel with her, and if I'm with my spouse, I'm okay most of the time, but without him, well... and its also very likely she is on the spectrum too, which adds to potential issues - since if she can manage things, obviously so can I.

I would suggest to stop worrying about the words used in discussing autism, and work on developing resources for those of us who are autistic. People dont care that you are watching your words, its a useless, and rather egotistical gesture. Im high functioning, that means you probably wont notice off the bat. Its more subtle and less severe. Not offensive, even to my friends who are also autistic/adhd.