Childhood diagnosis....what was that like?

Post Reply New Topic

I'll start off by mentioning I tried looking for this topic in another post, but didn't find anything; if someone has already posed this question, please feel free to direct me to their thread

I'm 30, and an undiagnosed aspie. I had the "a ha!" moment described by so many others on WP a few years ago and, shortly after, a question occurred to me: How would my life have been different if I'd been diagnosed as a child? Figuring things out later in life just gave me some perspective; I can now accept that some past failures were bound to happen, and I've managed to improve my "attitude" at work greatly, by smiling like a fool whenever someone approaches me. lol

The only person I've ever told about my self-diagnosis is my mom. One of her initial reactions was that, since I was already an adult, it really didn't make any difference; I am who I am. And I agreed. Then she said how much she would have worried about what my life would be like, if I'd been diagnosed when I was younger. And that made me wonder...

What I'd like to know is, what was it like to be diagnosed earlier in life?
Did knowing early on help you navigate the NT world more easily?
Did you sometimes feel held back by the diagnosis? Or did others hold you back because of it?

I was diagnosed on the cusp of adulthood... less than a month after my 21st birthday.

I needed a diagnosis because there was no way I'd be able to function without services. I have the PA Adult Autism Waiver, so I have staff almost 30 hours/week. If I ever get to the point that I can work, I'll have a job coach. So, for me it wasn't a matter of "I am who I am" but "I need to survive."

I was diagnosed when I was 8. I was told straight away, and I did not like it one bit. For 10 years after that I thought I was the only person in the world with AS, because I come from an all-NT family and went to mainstream school, so I never met one other Aspie before.

Hi joe! I'm sorry you had to go through that. I've known two people who had kids diagnosed around that age; one told the child, the other didn't. I can see why the parents would feel compelled to tell the child, but, as you pointed out, it can definitely have consequences.

I know it's a bit delayed...I haven't been on in a while and just wanted to say thanks for the responses

I was diagnosed when I was seven.