Sorry if this seems stupid. My kid was diagnosed with type 1 autism, formerly asperger’s. We weren’t even testing them for that (it was adhd), but the doc pointed out a lot of behaviors that are classified as autistic. I never thought of those behaviors that way, because I did a bunch of that stuff when I was a teen, too. I just learned I was weird and figured the rest was due to my super dysfunctional family. I’ve learned to cope. I keep my weirdness to myself and pass for a normal person pretty well. No one would ever guess I’m autistic (again, I’ve no diagnosis but it’s implied).
So, with that context, would there even be a point to getting a diagnosis? What would it benefit me? I’m middle aged, so I don’t need educational accommodations. I’ve learned to adapt, so idk if I’d even be diagnosable.
Idk. I’m still just messed up learning that my kid, who I thought was neurotypical and a LOT like me is considered autistic. How different would my childhood have been if I had been evaluated when I was younger?
I just re-read OP’s original post. Particularly this:
There are many times in the sessions with my new therapist where we have talked about things that have happened in my childhood that were very difficult for me to deal with, and that were sometimes traumatizing. I desparately wish that I would have been diagnosed at a young age and had the resources that many autistic kids have these days. I am convinced that having a childhood autism diagnosis would have helped me to better handle situations that I have experienced which have left deep wounds in my psyche.