Age of Diagnosis

[Jimbo]

I have not been diagnosed by a pro, but at age 44 I watched a Temple Grandin video somebody posted on Facebook and when she was describing her childhood I knew right away I was an aspie. Then I found this forum and I have no doubt that I am an aspie. It was so eye opening to know there are thousands just like me on this forum. I'm glad I wasn't diagnosed because they would not have let me adopt my daughter from China. They won't even let you adopt if you are a little overweight. Go figure.

 

[jdaustin]

Out of curiosity, at what age were you diagnosed with autism or Asperger's? I was diagnosed rather late at least it seems late from what I've been told, at age 19, and this has created some difficulties in treatment, it was hard finding a doctor willing to test me, then even harder to find one to begin treatment as from what I hear it's usually diagnosed much earlier.

There were a number of factors responsible for my late diagnosis, most prominently a small grade school without the resources to address such an issue, did anybody else have an unusually late diagnosis?

Sometimes I wish I'd been diagnosed that young but I'm not sure. I was diagnosed at 42; in some ways it was a relief because now I was weird the the same way a lot of other people are and it even has a name (Aspergers). I've never felt it was a disability but just a challenge to overcome and for the most part I have. I choose to see my traits to be an advantage and work on areas I'm weak. I wish someone had told me to join Toastmasters at your age... it would have saved me a LOT of grief.

 

[EPrime]

I'm 23 and I was diagnosed at 14-15 with PDD-NOS. Apparently the psychiatrists , schools and my mother did some testing without me, and I got a report of my current status (I.E Job, life, home life) when I was about 16-17, and I read it from that report that I had been diagnosed with full blown Aspgergers. No one told me, I had to find this myself. I read the paper, and they told me not to read it, I found out that they were honest about me and my lack of potential or intelligence. I read it and I wanted to break down and cry I was so mad and upset I didn't know what to do with myself. I let a piece of paper with words on it tear my life apart, and it still scars me to this day, it's part of the reason why I've lot all confidence in myself.

 

[Juliet8080]

At 17. I suspected it since about 14 or 15, though.

 

[JessH0601]

I am 23 and do not yet have an official diagnosis. Finding a doctor is proving very difficult. If anyone has some advice on the process, I'd greatly appreciate if you messaged me!

 

[abby normal]

my early 40s, back in the 2000s. before that I had been thought ADHD [inattentive subtype] and schizotypal.

 

[sabrdawg]

I was diagnosed on March 19th, 2014. I was about to turn 31. I had suspected I was an Aspie since I was 26.

 

[Thesaurusrex]

I was diagnosed at 23 - pretty early by the standards for females on the spectrum. Until then I had seen several psychologists/psychiatrists/therapists regarding anxiety, OCD and general social ineptitude.

 

[Bobbert48]

I was officially diagnosed at age 56. When I was 4 or 5, our family physician told my parents that I was retarded and recommended that I be institutionalized. Fortunately my parents opted to mainstream me (perhaps because it was cheaper). Finding out that I had AS was enlightening as it gave me a "reason" for my differences, but very disheartening because it came so late in my life.

 

[Julia 27]

Out of curiosity, at what age were you diagnosed with autism or Asperger's? I was diagnosed rather late at least it seems late from what I've been told, at age 19, and this has created some difficulties in treatment, it was hard finding a doctor willing to test me, then even harder to find one to begin treatment as from what I hear it's usually diagnosed much earlier.

There were a number of factors responsible for my late diagnosis, most prominently a small grade school without the resources to address such an issue, did anybody else have an unusually late diagnosis?

Yes I was 60. Diagnosed a couple of weeks ago officially by a pyshcologist accredited in ASD although I knew myself
When I was growing up it hadn't been "invented!!" or rather there was no awreness around it
This forum is great comfort to me reading so many comments that I so relate to do not feel so different
and if I could change I wouldn't want to I love my querky aspie ways it is part of who I am and the good qualities like loyalty honesty and focus
are worthy traits. I wonder how my life would have been different if I had been diagnosed 50 years ago but back then in the dark ages they probably would have done shock treatment or something so in a way I am glad I left it to a more enlightened age

 

[Julia 27]

I started suspecting AS was at the root of some of my social challenges and meltdowns around age 46. Being gay and androgynous complicated my self diagnosis because being non-conforming in other ways like that can also lead to social ostracization and not fitting in with groups. I was officially diagnosed this year at age 50. Having that diagnosis has clarified a lot of things for me, in terms of identity and personal understanding--and I hope I can translate that into improving some of my significant relationships. However, in the town I live in, all of the services to help aspies are for kids under 18. The only option I have for help is hiring a therapist, which I have done. There are no groups for adults. So, with the exception of AspieCentral, I have no network of people other than my therapist to help me deal with AS. I feel rather isolated as a result.

I agree
Where I live in Australia all the support groups are for children or careres and there is a men's group but nothing for women and we present quite differently from men in a lot of ways so like you I am very grateful for AspieCentral too as I would feel more isolated without it too

 

[shakeitup94]

I was 18, I was suspected at 16 of having a mild form of bipolar called cyclothymia and then I went to a new doctor after mine retired and he was like you're last doctors an idiot you have Asperger's.

 

[Rob]

I had a very late diagnosis after being forced to withdraw from pharmacy tech school. I was diagnosed at 45.

I was smart in school but I had a lot of trouble in the social and pragmatic world. I had trouble interacting with others and expressing my feelings. From graduation onward my successes were only academic but not in the hands-on world. Motor skills, executive functioning, and problem solving were at a huge disadvantage. Years later, I tried to get away from the retail employment world to the pharmacy world at the advice of a relative. It sounded good, but the social environment became too complex for me to figure out after my arrival at the pharmacy college. Anxiety, confusion and frustration dogged me at every corner. Finally after a meeting with the college faculty I was forced to withdraw after a blistering student evaluation. The administrators thought I was intelligent; nevertheless pharmacy was not for me.

After psychological testing and weeks of waiting for results I finally got an official diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome in winter 2012.

 

[AspieBenMN]

It was 19 for me as well. NY parents always thought that there was something off with me and looking back a proper diagnosis could have helped me out tremendously from ages 6-14 but in high school I stopped caring what people thought about me after freshman year I had a blast the last 3 years and I ruled that place my senior year. Better than my late dad though who probably had it and went undiagnosed his entire life.

 

[Rob]

Yes I was 60. Diagnosed a couple of weeks ago officially by a pyshcologist accredited in ASD although I knew myself
When I was growing up it hadn't been "invented!!" or rather there was no awreness around it
This forum is great comfort to me reading so many comments that I so relate to do not feel so different
and if I could change I wouldn't want to I love my querky aspie ways it is part of who I am and the good qualities like loyalty honesty and focus
are worthy traits. I wonder how my life would have been different if I had been diagnosed 50 years ago but back then in the dark ages they probably would have done shock treatment or something so in a way I am glad I left it to a more enlightened age

In many cases, late diagnoses are the result of the delay in the translation from the Austrian psychologist's work from German to English. I was probably around 30 or so at the time Asperger's work was being translated. Before that I felt out of place and did not fit anywhere, except in my "smart" academic group where I could answer questions from many students and actually enjoyed their company in many classes. I thought I had schizophrenia.

 

[Limited_Moon]

I was diagnosed last year at 30 years of age. As a child I was quite blatantly, obviously autistic, but back in the early 80's in New Zealand, Autism was seen strictly as a 'boys' thing. So no one was looking really, and to add to that I was raised fairly poor. I kind of just slipped under the radar.
Later when I got to high school I really, really struggled, but because I was highly intelligent and talented, everyone just thought that I was slacking off and that I needed to try harder. I failed despite my efforts and my love for academia.

It's frustrating when I think that if I was born a boy rather than a girl, or just born a little later, there's a very good chance I would have gotten the help I needed and done a lot better in life. I've lost good friends too, whom I wouldn't have lost if it had been known I was autistic.

 

[HamburgerHelper]

I suspected when I was 14 or 15 when I heard about it on a Social Anxiety Disorder support board, but at the time I pushed it aside and figured I was being a hypochondriac. After years of getting no where, I finally got some real testing done and I was diagnosed at the age of 23.

I was finding groups of people who word for word have gone through what I've gone through. It was like fresh air for the first time.

 

[poey]

I was 37 when diagnosed.

 

[tia_darcy]

I was 63. Parents said they knew there was a 'problem' with me but whenever they took me to anyone to be diagnosed my IQ was high and they were told I was just 'difficult'. It was actually my grandson watching Sheldon Cooper on TBBT that got me onto it. He turned to me and said, Nan, you're just like him. So when I googled what his character was based, on aspergers cropped up a lot...and it was a few short steps to realising this was what I had. Took a year to get an official diagnosis and other than wishing I had been diagnosed earlier I couldn't be happier.

 

[redpanda8666]

At 45. Throughout my school years and early adulthood no-one could put a name to my eccentricities and so I went through various ups and downs including several years of unemployment and assorted difficulties until eventually a very good female psychiatrist gave me the diagnosis. It was the first time I'd ever heard the term Aspergers. It was a relief to be diagnosed but I wish it could have happened years earlier which would have solved a great many problems. But growing up in a small town in a country which was somewhat isolated from the world at large at the time, none of the medical professionals were prepared to make any specific diagnosis.