Is It Possible?

Post Reply New Topic

Hi! I am not sure if it's rude to post a question before posting your introduction (first forum I've ever joined), but I am in need of help. I am 19 years old, and I am wondering if it is possible to be on the spectrum for this long without knowing it.
All my life, I have been "shy", "awkward", and "strange" but no one has ever considered I may be autistic (as there are a lot of people who are shy and not autistic). Recently, a friend of mine with an autistic son shared a "sensory overload simulation" video to her Facebook wall. Watching it, I realized it was exactly how I felt in a crowded, loud store and started wondering.

I frequently have episodes of over stimulation, where I just feel like my body is at max capacity and I can't continue. I can't stand to be touche during these, and normally cannot speak. Most of my life, these have been called panic attacks, and I have been on medication for it in the past, although it didn't help much. Going to the grocery store alone is nearly impossible ... The number of people, the noise of chatter and the freezers going, the harsh florescent lights ... It's all too much for me without someone (usually my amazingly patient husband) there to help "ground" me. Sometimes, I shut down entirely and become a silent, zoned-out statue, and sometimes I have what can only be likened to a toddler's temper fit. Crying, shaking, unable to stand. A few hours later, I "snap out of it" and am horribly embarrassed to have been seen that way.

In addition to these, as I mentioned before, I am very socially inept. I want to make friends and be a "normal" adult, but I never seem to say the right things. I either give people the impression that I am stuck up, or don't want to talk to them, or I seem to be over-zealous and drive them away. I am the inappropriate one in my family, with no "filter". I never had more than 2-3 friends in school, hated working in groups (I'm a control freak who is too shy to speak up, not a good combination), and always had a hard time thinking the "right" way. I consider myself smart, but I have a very hard time understanding information presented to me in certain ways.

My husband jokes that I am more like our cats than any human he's ever met: Loving, curious and friendly, but overwhelmed by loud noises and unknown situations. I guess he's right, because I am more at ease home alone with them than I am with other people.

I really hope this question is reasonable. I don't want to offend anyone. I don't want to say "Oh, I'm weird, I must be autistic, haha". I understand how difficult it must be to live with autism and hear it used as a negative or derogatory term. But, I would like to know if the challenges I'm facing could be related, even though they were "minor" enough that I reached adult without a diagnosis.

Thank you.

Welcome. Yes its possible to be autistic and not have known for a long time. I was diagnosed at 22 and some people here have been diagnosed mid and late adulthood.

There is a huge spam problem on the site at the moment. It is not usually that way btw.

Thank you for replying. So, worth maybe seeking testing? I had no idea you could be an adult before getting diagnosed.

Also, I've noticed the spam. Hopefully it clears up soon, this seems like a really great forum.

The spam is ridiculous today, but usually the spam is pretty much nonexistent or just a random post here and there. Today we got unlucky enough to be the target of a Korean spambot that does not have wits to know that most people here can't read Korean anyway.

Yeah if you are having difficulties it's worth getting testing. I only went to see the Dr after I kept having employment trouble with the most simple things even though at school i got high grades, it didnt seem to make sense, and my parents said I should. I had autism symptoms since I was a kid but everyone including me just though that's my personality.

I live in the UK so I saw my gp first who passed me onto other people who passed me to a specialist in autism spectrum disorders.

Many of us on WP, myself included (diagnosed at age 49), were diagnosed rather late in life. So it isn't so unusual, though some of us are unusual... myself included.

Entirely possible & not all that uncommon, really.

I didn't know about myself being on the spectrum until I was ~30.

_________________
No for supporting trump. Because doing so is deplorable.

Never thought of it until someone brought it up when I was 32.

Yes, possible, and apparently quite common.

I agree with the above posters-- if we are.. lucky.. we are able to adapt to our surroundings and almost become a chameleon to where we seem like we fit in.... And if we are good enough at this, then we can pass as neurotypical and no one (or very rarely someone will) guess that we are on the spectrum. Anywho, I would recommend that you pick up a book or two like Tony Atwood's Complete Guide to Asperger's. He is pretty good at documenting and explaining what it's like to be on the spectrum. If you find that it's like you are reading about yourself or your experiences, then it's likely you are indeed one of us. After researching and reading up on this, if you find that you would like the input of a professional (specialist) then you can investigate the possibilities and availability of that. However, many of us feel confident after doing our research that we don't need someone to tell us what we already know. I myself was not confident enough for that and sought out a professional diagnosis in order to make sure it wasn't all in my head or my imagination.
Anyway, I digress! Like I said, just read about it.. here and elsewhere and go from there. We'll be here to help, whatever happens.

Not only is it completely possible, it's pretty common. Especially amongst females, as the diagnostic criteria tends to skew toward things that can be more difficult to pick up on in females.

If you have time, I'd recommend reading the "I Think I Might Be Autistic" series at Musings Of An Aspie. It's written be a woman who was middle-aged when she went through the self-discovery and professional diagnosis phase.

Welcome to WP!

Yes it's totally possible. Perhaps even probable. You wouldn't believe how many 35+ year olds come on here saying, "Just got dx'd... wat do?"

I was over 50 before I'd even heard of Asperger's. I had always known there was something different about me and considered social phobia, anxiety disorder, even "autism" as it's commonly understood, but none of them was the whole picture. Then I saw a discussion about Asperger's on TV and I knew that was it.