I started suspecting around 28, got diagnosed formally at 29. I have always known something was different about me but chalked it up to mental health issues, mainly depression and anxiety. I went misdiagnosed for my entire life.
2 days into having a tiktok account. The algorithm totally clocked me. I was 45 years old.
That's where my journey began, and It took me almost 3 years to get a clinical diagnosis once I had researched, relived my entire childhood, and taken 12 online RAADs tests.
During my first year of secondary school (11/12 years old) i started noticing that something was "off" with me. Didnt get diagnosed until i was 14 though
A little after learning the words to describe autism in middle school. Up to that point, I just accepted whatever descriptions other people would use, even if they were insults and attacks, because I didn't know any better.
I didn’t (I was diagnosed when I was 4 and told I was autistic when I was 8) growing up I was different, but I never understood why people treated me differently as I got bullied by students and teachers alike, so my Mum pulled me out of school.
I was at a company holiday luncheon and was sitting there quiet and struggling while everyone else socialized and my friend/coworker was checking on me and asked if I was (in a kind way). Looked into it and, yeah, explained so much.
With 15 years old. I was already diagnosed with PDD-NOS when I was 3, but I didn't know about my diagnosis until then. But it wasn't until last year when I started to look up more autism-related things.
i progressively realised that my closest friends were all autistic , or at the very least neurodivergent B')
also *a lot* of childhood/teen experiences, in retrospect - like my parents had me assessed as a child and the doctor said there was nothing noteworthy and now i'm just like HOW!?!?
An autistic friend started asking pointed questions, which got my subconscious going. Eventually I went to them and asked if they thought I might be. “FINALLY, I thought you were never going to get there!”
As a parent, I noticed behavioral concerns when my son was a toddler. It was basically sensory issues (sounds, clothing and food). I didn’t have him evaluated until a 3rd grade teacher had issues with his behavior. While psychologist said high functioning autism, psychiatric said ADD and meds.
During COVID. Just diagnosed with adhd, and had a trainer ask if I had ever taken the RADS-R. She saw I was hyper mobile and clocked it. 54 years old after years of suffering, anxiety and antidepressants.
I remember when I was in my final year of primary school (so about 11 years-old) they did an assembly about autism and it just clicked from what they were explaining and I realised I was autistic.
So for years I thought I couldnt be Autistic because I didnt "see things literally" - as in if someone said "hit the road" I didnt picture someone hitting the road. A few years ago I realized I had taken this element too literally. That was my big clue.
In 2019 I downloaded TikTok and was watching autism videos to try to understand an autistic friend better. I remember one video by a high masking, late diagnosed autistic woman played and suddenly I got the air sucked out of my lungs. I understood. I spent the next year researching then got dx at 33
During COVID-19. I questioned why I felt perfectly happy with being isolated from everybody and all the NTs were freaking out. I had plenty of time to research and found that so much about autism resonated with me. I was finally diagnosed last year.
Yes! I was content just doing my own thing. In fact I had more energy to do more hobbies after being home all day. Little did I know it was the tism...
around 2022 my roomie started dating an AuDHD girl. some time in they realized they relate to each other in very specific ways, so she sent us a link to a website with very good autism tests. at the time i only did it cuz i love online quizzes and surveys. lo and behold!
Maybe 9th to 10th grade, at the time I was researching mental health a lot bc I knew other things were up with my brain and learned about the symptoms and such, I was diagnosed between 11th and 12th grade
2 years ago, I met a wonderful ND person, whose beautiful ND friends all instantly clocked me as me of them. Cue realising that most of my life struggles suddenly make sense if viewed as ND issues. They knew before I did, and I'll be forever grateful to them for helping me to discover my true self.
I was diagnosed at 6 but that was back in the mid 80s when we had a racist, misogynistic former Nazi named Asperger telling us that only boy were autistic which caused me to shut down, and wall off my inner girl for decades, and deny gender entirely, until recently. 🙄
In my early 20s I strongly suspected it. ADHD, trans, deep special interests, struggled socially, sensory difficulties, avoided busy places, primarily neurodivergent friends, related to autistic experiences...
I wish I'd looked into it more before getting more traumatized and burnt out x3
I genuinely had no idea until I found community on tiktok. I made friends who had ADHD and autism, I was already diagnosed with ADHD, but my bipolar diagnosis never fit. I tried every med but nothing worked. I got diagnosed with autism last month. Everything makes sense finally😭
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That's where my journey began, and It took me almost 3 years to get a clinical diagnosis once I had researched, relived my entire childhood, and taken 12 online RAADs tests.
also *a lot* of childhood/teen experiences, in retrospect - like my parents had me assessed as a child and the doctor said there was nothing noteworthy and now i'm just like HOW!?!?
A quack said I couldn’t possibly be on the spectrum over a decade before then, but I had no reason not to believe her.
Then I saw more and more memes about Autism traits, and they were hitting to close for comfort
I knew something was up with me in 1st grade though. No one would listen sadly, but I knew.
I wish I'd looked into it more before getting more traumatized and burnt out x3