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?
Personally as someone who snuck through too I don’t think I’d ever get a dx. I’ve had deep moments of closure and certainty and they did not come from medical settings. However these moments require you to be looking for the right things, having the knowledge to know what you’re looking for and the perception to judge yourself and your past through a neutral, almost clinical, lens. My not-professional advice to some in your position would be just do a lot of research(you’ll probably be doing this anyway), let it sit, and if after a while you don’t feel like you have any more certainty, ask yourself again if you want to get a diagnosis. Just as a caveat I wanna write that this advice is not for anyone who is eligible to receive benefits that would improve their quality of life if they got a diagnosis. The field I work in is related enough that I feel compelled to say that.
Thank you.