“Autism” by PlusLexia.com is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
by Ricardo Nenadich
For many years, autism spectrum disorder was known as a condition only diagnosed in children. In recent years, adults are being newly diagnosed later in life after spending decades going undiagnosed.
While autism spectrum disorder may go unnoticed in one’s childhood, it can become noticeable in adulthood due to social struggles and anxiety triggered by autism. As well as having a sense of feeling different from everyone else.
Autism Speaks is an organization that supports and specializes in detecting and supporting autism in adults and elderly adults who are newly diagnosed.
Here are some testimonials from Autism Speaks which include quotes from adults and elderly adults who have recently been diagnosed with autism.
Autism Speaks – Paul Nussbaum (65) “Half of my life was a long hard struggle where I was not playing with a full deck in terms of negotiating the world before my diagnosis. After my diagnosis, the light bulb went on and I found a huge population just like me with the same struggles.”
Erik Kirschner (29) from Autism Speaks says, “I’m proud to say I have autism, as it has helped shape the man I am today. I have genuine confidence in myself, and I know that others out there like me can achieve anything they put their minds to. I truly believe people on the spectrum are some of the brightest individuals in our society and can offer so much in the workforce and in life”.
Dr. Stephen Shore from Autism Speaks explains some strengths and disadvantages when someone has autism by mentioning many strengths such as attention to detail and challenges such as “difficulty perceiving the emotional state of others.”
Samantha Ranaghan (34) states, “My whole life I thought there was something wrong with me. When I learned about my diagnosis. I knew nothing was wrong with me… I knew that I had something special about me and my life was about to change.”
“When I tell people I am high functioning autistic, their reactions are mostly, “wow, I would have never guessed that. You do not act like you have autism.” I want to say back to them, “how am I supposed to act?” said Ranaghan.
As per an article on The Neighborhoods, Dr.Yulanda Harris, 63, A Detroit native had announced she was diagnosed with as “being on the autism spectrum.” She is quoted as saying in the article: “Whenever I would start a new job, I would watch specific people or leaders in the workplace and see how others were receptive to them. I would emulate that behavior and sometimes it was uncomfortable because I knew I wasn’t being myself. This is called social masking.” She has also become more self aware as a result of being diagnosed.
An article on Psychcentral.com – Autism in Older Adults: says that older adults are now getting tested for autism spectrum disorder. This is mainly because of some of the symptoms they have experienced their whole lives. Ex: obsessive thoughts, social isolation, loneliness, and anxiety are some of the main symptoms of autism diagnoses in adults.
According to the Autism Society of Greater Cincinnati, “more than 5.4 million adults in the U.S or 2.2 percent of the U.S population, are on the autism spectrum.”
All these testimonies directly from newly diagnosed adults with autism show that autism does not have a predetermined look or is the same across all individuals with autism. It is different for everybody.
While there are currently no statistics to show how many adults with autism are being newly diagnosed as of recent, the rates have increased over the years, and this will lead to more cases of adults and elderly adults being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.