#latediagnosed — Public Fediverse posts

Currently dealing with something super cool and awesome. Late diagnosed autistic, and currently going through what is quite severe autistic burnout.

The cool thing is that I just remembered a couple times I went non-verbal rather than fighting tooth and nail to mask and fawn, and how good it was for my body/senses/nerves to allow myself to go non-verbal instead... And yet, it feels so extremely humiliating in retrospect, that I can't or won't let myself do it this time.

#autistic #actuallyautistic #latediagnosed #autisticburnout #fawnresponse

For decades, I chased in-person belonging through choirs, church groups, and community events. I performed the expected roles while drowning in sensory overload, masking, and accessibility barriers. I have finally stopped forcing it. I am accepting that my true home has always been online.

In the mid-90s, it was the early web and BBS systems where I first found disabled peers. Then came IRC, where hours of text chat kept depression and burnout at bay. Facebook followed in 2006, though I only kept it for family. Twitter became a lifeline later on. A group of us who are blind shared our days in real time. When accessibility was dismantled and third-party apps died, I moved here to Mastodon. Finding this autistic and neurodivergent community has been a revelation.

Online spaces give me information, rhythm, and connection without the unbearable cost of physical navigation and social performance. Realising this brings grief for the years I spent striving to fit a mould that was never built for me. It also brings immense relief. This is not a retreat. It is a return to where I fit.

I am curious if anyone else has reached this same acceptance. I would love to hear how you manage the physical realities of a predominantly online life. I am figuring out how to handle exercise alongside managing meals and daily health routines. I am also very interested to hear if anyone uses body doubling to get these physical tasks done.

Please share your experiences and strategies in the replies.

#AuDHD #ActuallyAutistic #Blind #Disability #Neurodivergent #Monotropism #BodyDoubling #Accessibility #LateDiagnosed

For years, authorities and others in positions of power have made it very clear that autistic people’s experiences wouldn’t be taken seriously without a diagnosis.

And now, in some quarters at least, we're the ones being blamed for overloading the system 🤷‍♀️

#ClinicalPsychology #ActuallyAutistic #LateDiagnosed #Diagnosis #Autism #UtaFrith

Dear Fediverse, connect me with fellow neurodivergent people. 🎲

#LateDiagnosed #ADHD #AuDHD #Autism

I almost cried when I discovered this book in the library yesterday and I had only just read the list of chapters. I told at least 8 of those lies to myself constantly for the last 20 years. I still believe versions of most of them. I'm still at the beginning of unlearning these. At least this provides some structure for my negative self talk.

The book is Small Talk by Richard & Roxanne Pink

@actuallyadhd #adhd #latediagnosed #shame #neurodivergent

Surprise... Kim Has ADHD (Part 1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Htlxm0NMCBw

#ADHD #ADHDer #ADHDers #Woman #Women #LateDiagnosed #LateDiagnosis #latedignosedadhd #holdernessfamily

"It is often said that autistics can sense other people's energy, and the slightest shifts and changes in them can throw us off balance and leave us feeling confused and frustrated."

#Autism #Autistic #LateDiagnosed #Neurodivergent

From 'Lost & Now Found: a guide to understanding and accepting yourself for late-discovered autistic adults' by Kate Laine-Toner and Suzi Payton

Everyone's experience and feelings will be different. This is just one perspective.

#ActuallyAutistic #Autistic #Autism #Neurodivergent #AutisticAdults
#AutisticPride #InvisibleDisability #lateDiagnosed

I hate this time of year. The Dread starts around August when I 1st think abt the calls & making my excuses to avoid flying & all the end of the year stuff.

The Obligatory Thanksgiving calls are done so that's out of the way, but even though it's just me & my SO who I absolutely love not doing anything holiday-related, I'm still full-on in The Awful Time. The Holidays still happen & what is a well-needed break for most people is agonizing, life-draining hell for me.

My routines are destroyed for over a month. I'm always perceived. There's always noise. I'm locked in a masked freeze state. My time alone is completely stripped & I'm hiding in the bathroom just to get 5 minutes of solitude for a mini-meltdown so I can keep it together for another few hours. I am anxiously counting down until the holidays are over & I finally get a break from the chaos & intrusion. All while hating myself & feeling shame and guilt for every second of it because what an awful way to feel about spending time with someone you love. At least now I know I'm #Autistic & that's why.

35 days to go.

#Autism #actuallyautistic #holidays #MentalHealth #AutisticBurnout #AutisticAdult #AutisticWoman #Stress #stillMasking #InvisibleDisability #LateDiagnosed

This show on YouTube

Adhd chatter

Made by Alex Paltridge

I'm loving it so much

#adhd
#LateDiagnosed
#latediagnosedadhd

My website is now live. Please do have a look around and get in touch if you have any questions, blog topic suggestions, or to book in for a session.

https://www.counsellingwithlou.co.uk

#counselling #integration #mentalhealth #therapy #therapist #emotional #feelings #lost #anxious #grief #angry #latediagnosed #latediagnosedautistic #autism #feminism #queer #lgbtq #trans #polyamory #polyam #enm #trauma #relationshipadvice

Unravelling after an Autism Diagnosis? 

I’ve slipped through so many doctors hands since I was a child and if it wasn’t for me figuring it out on my own as an adult and demanding an autism assessment I would not have been diagnosed. The journey of realisation for me was a long one, dragged out over about a 7 year period from when I figured it out to when I got finally diagnosed. My life long struggles finally making sense when seen through the lens of autism, rather than as a neurotypical person failing through life. 

Immersing yourself in online autism groups can be helpful (but not for everyone), I learnt so much just reading what other people say on there. I’d sometimes ask what felt like the most ridiculous questions but people would respond supportively and their responses would really resonate with me and it made me feel less alone and less crazy. It’s probably good for anyone questioning it to browse in the groups for a bit before going forward for an assessment. 

Going through that process helped me to really articulate the problems I’ve had throughout my life. People always ask me why I’m so forgetful, disorganised and always late and why I never get better at these things. And I realised, like yeah, I NEVER GET BETTER at it. I try so hard but I just can’t do it. I’ve had different alarm clocks dotted around the house- one in every room, reminders, notes, schedules, visual boards, planned  structures and routines, people text me to remind me things the night before and again in the morning. But I just don’t improve, in spite of everything put in place to aid improvement. It’s not my effort that’s the problem – there’s a barrier within me like a block in my brain. I have something that I discovered is termed Time Blindness and it is common in autistics! What a revelation!

Part of my unraveling has been learning that I’m not a failure after all. I don’t fail every day like I previously thought. I’m not a bad person who refuses to be compliant – I have different needs that get in the way of me complying to daily standards expected of me. I need accommodations and I need understanding about autism from myself and those around me. 

Finally having autism identified in me and recognised has taught me the importance of identity. I’ve lived a lonely and isolated life filled with suffering (as well as beauty and laughter), and I’ve searched high and low for an answer to my problems. I’ll never know what life could have been like with this knowledge but I’m glad I have it now. Another thing I’ll never know is if being diagnosed as a child would have come with new problems and suffering even if it took away the problems I’ve had in this undiagnosed life. “The grass is always greener on the other side” comes to mind. 

People’s identities, whether autism/gender/race/religion etc, are fundamental to who we are as people and affect how we navigate the world and how we are perceived in society. Struggling with any type of identity is a big deal. Being seen and respected in your identity is a big deal. That’s why having access to information and being able to explore and talk openly with others is so important. Humans have a tendency to categorise and label as a way to identify and describe similarities and differences. These labels can be beneficial to us all and aid our understanding and acceptance of each other. Sometimes they can also be damaging, so we need to tread carefully. Through misdiagnosis we can be labeled incorrectly and this leads to further marginalisation and disconnect. During this disconnect we can be misaligned and alienated from the very group we are identifying into/out of. So it’s crucial to be able to delve into all aspects and understandings of identities to explore the realities involved and challenge ourselves with critical thinking to aid our discoveries. Self exploration is a fantastic and enlightening journey if you also explore the very reality of the identities themselves. Half truths get us nowhere. 

Being under the promise that you can literally adopt an identity that isn’t in reality possible puts us at war with lived realities. Once we start eroding the meaning of identities the identities themselves begin to unravel. Which then means our lived experience is at war with the very thing we were on a mission to align with. We also unravel the meaning of identities for the people who were already living that experience in physical reality. This creates a disconnect for all involved. 

We need to provide better services for people seeking different diagnoses, and also pointing them in the right direction when they don’t get the news they expected. People who turn out not to be autistic during assessment need help finding out the cause of their problems and redirecting to relevant services that may help them figure it out. People who are undiagnosed autistic and have gone through gender identity issues without knowing this fundamental part of themselves need support to come to terms with autism as a possible root cause of their gender identity related issues, or how it is an important factor that runs alongside their gender identity. 

I hope there will be new tailored support available for late-diagnosed autistic trans people. It’s common to hear autistic people say that once they got diagnosed they had a lot of ‘unravelling’ to do. This unravelling must be even greater for people who are also trans. I hope services catch up quickly. Services are already lacking for autistic adults, you just get given a diagnosis then patted on the back and sent straight back out through the door you just came in through. Whether you ever want an assessment or not, I think just being kind to yourself while you go through the process and taking things at a pace that doesn’t overwhelm you is the best thing you can do. Reach out to other people who are in similar situations, read different theories, educate yourself and try to connect with others and find your tribe of like minded individuals. But go easy on yourself and go easy on others. We all have our unique experiences, set backs and realisations and we are all valid. Arm yourself with knowledge and good intentions and share with others. You never know who you might be helping by being your honest, ever evolving self! Be you, be beautiful and be ongoing! 

Join our diverse community group on Facebook “Autism and Identity Q&A” here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/681835447213475

Read more about Autism + Gender + Identity overlap here:

Autism and Identity

Subscribe

https://auntieautism.wordpress.com/2024/02/14/unravelling-after-an-autism-diagnosis/

#autism #Autistic #gender #identity #identityPolitics #journey #LateDiagnosed #Life #misdiagnosed #trans

"How my #AUTISM hides my #ADHD"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ8fAfVevL8

Being a #latediagnosed #autistic #ADHDer (or "AuDHDer") can be hard as both conditions can seem invisible to others.

NEW PODCAST:

"Neurodivergent Kiss: #Autistic Fairytale... or Fabulous Marriage?"

Updated text, new images including, "Under a Surreal Sun."

First podcast in 6 months. If you enjoy my work, please share it up! More to come this week...

WIth links to audio podcast and captioned YouTube to aid audio processing. Also includes new hi-res illustrations...

#ActuallyAutistic #Autistic #ADHD #AuDHD #AutisticAdults #LateDiagnosed #Neurodivergent

@[email protected] @actuallyadhd
https://autisticaf.me/2023/08/24/podcast-neurodivergent-kiss-autistic-fairytale-or-fabulous-marriage/

Also the dominocat effect - cos I never shut up about it. #LateDiagnosed #latedignosedadhd #adhdlife #adhd

#introduction
#introductionV2

Hello new folks,

I am naura.

I am a 40 something stay at home mom living in #eastbay. I was born and raised in #SoCal.

✨ I’m interested in:
#fiberarts
#spinning
#knitting
#crochet
#crossstitch
#Drawing
#3dprinting
#cooking
#baking
#LearningFrench

✨ #MathNerd - Currently working on my #MathEducation degree from #WGU

✨#ADHD (inattentive) #latediagnosed at 39

✨#Trekkie since 1988 and #JCshipper since 1995. I am also a huge fan of #warehouse13 and need a reboot!

✨i am a #TeaSnob i’d love to meet other tea snobs 🍵🧋🫖☕️

✨i consider myself #leftist and #antiFascist I want to find leftist theory media that is more accessible to my ADHD brain. (Recommend graphic guide to…. Series)

Thanks for reading and following

🖖