What age are most people diagnosed with aspergers?

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I am a 14 year old boy with asperger's from Ireland.
I was diagnosed with asperger's last year. I was just wondering, at what age are most people with A.S diagnosed?
Is 14 considered late to be diagnosed?
Thanks!

I'm not sure what the average age of diagnosis is, but there seems to be a huge range. (I was 40, for example!)

I can see how therapists might be reluctant to diagnose it in children, because they are wary of the danger of stigmatizing a child who they hope might 'grow out of' their problems, and learn to adapt. So that might be one reason why a lot of people aren't diagnosed until adulthood – when they finally emerge in the 'real world', and discover that they are unable to function, outside of their familiar school environment.

Anyway, 14 is actually pretty young compared to a lot of people here on WP! I hope you're doing well, and that you find your diagnosis helpful in making the adjustments you need in order to function better.

I was diagnosed with classic autism at 19.

I wish more therapists were like that. I was diagnosed when I was four and look how I ended up. I barely have any autistic symptoms, but I have plenty of psychological issues. I would probably be way more successful if I was never diagnosed. A lot of people here wish they were diagnosed when they were younger to get more "help." Unfortunately the "help" you get isn't that helpful and it really cripples you and ruins any self esteem you might have.

I was 12 when diagnosed. I notice other aspies who are a lot younger than me were diagnosed way sooner than age 12 around age 5 or so. AS was still fairly new when I was diagnosed so not many doctors knew about it then.

I really wouldn't know. I had to FIGHT for my own diagnosis in my mid-20's when everyone was ready to give upon me and it looked like I was doomed to be imprisoned and LEFT TO DIE in a hospital or a home for severely mentally-challenged people because they thought I was behaviorally dysfunctional and a spoiled, evil, dangerous monster. I hear a lot of female aspies still often get misdiagnosed or not at all because we act so differently. I guess more people now are being diagnosed when they're still in early grade school.

32.

Don't anyone dare tell me that's not young.

Depends on awareness of parents...

I was diagnosed at 9 but not told by parents until I was 18

I was diagnosed with PDD-NOS at 5/6, put in special ed for most of my school years away from the "normal" kids, was encouraged to just try to be "normal" (while also hearing the contradictory message "be who you are," which was weaker), and now I've run into a wall with little to no hands-on support. As a teenager, I hated the Asperger's, I hated my being trans, I hated all that and wanted to move past it all. This damaged me.

I can totally see that.

I think that people are more aware of it now so diagnoses are happening at a younger age but for a lot of us older folks. We are just getting are diagnoses at a later age in life. Do to the nature and characteristics of aspergers. A lot of people still misunderstand what it really is and still go on in life unaware.

Me, at 39. I think they failed to discover a lot of autistic people from my generation, especially the females.

It sucks how most places near where I now live refuse to even consider diagnosing someone past teen years. I only was able to get diagnosed because my VA doctors duked it out with local facilities to give me testing. Now I am really glad that I served some time in the military.

I needed a diagnosis because I have some autistic traits that cause difficulty in my life, and are from no other cause but autism. I have some huge sensory problems, and most of the classic aspie social awkwardness problems, and it is extremely hard for me to do some things like getting hired for work because I am a VERY eccentric person, and people judge me negatively because of the eccentricity. They don't understand or care that I need to survive as much as 'normal' people do.

I think diagnoses at younger ages are more common now than in previous years. I was 33 before I got a diagnosis, because no one in the US knew what Asperger's was 25 years ago, and I didn't have the traits of classic autism.
Now, I think someone like me would be diagnosed by the teenage years at the latest, because there is simply more awareness of the different types of autism in general.

"they are wary of the danger of stigmatizing a child who they hope might 'grow out of' their problems"

I wasn't aware you could "grow out of" AS. I'm 70 now....is there any hope for me???? Or perhaps you're describing INCOMPETENT doctors?

So some of the people on here who are upset with their lives think they'd be better off not having been diagnosed???

To go your entire life without knowing why the other kids were mean to you?

To NEVER understand why your life is the way it is???? And NEVER understand WHY people respond to you the way they do????? You're fooling yourself if you think this is a good way to live.

I believe anyone who believes they would be better off undiagnosed is merely unaware of how hard it is to go through life without a diagnosis (to say nothing of SSI and other assistance available now). Life without might seem like an adventure but I guarantee you it's not. TRY to imagine your life from birth to the present with everyone knowing you were odd but they knew nothing about AS.

And at least KNOWING why you're different is a game changer in itself; believe me I KNOW.

denny

I was officially diagnosed at 22 but for any reason other than the paper the age is 13. A professional identified me at 13 but I wasn't diagnosed until a diagnosis proved necessary. As a teen I got Specialized therapy even without the diagnosis. Also biases about diagnosing females especially who spoke early and don't present stereotypically aspergers either.

Denny, I agree with you, and I'm sorry if my comment was triggering. I'm definitely one of those who would have preferred to be diagnosed as a child, and to have received help, instead of falling through the cracks to the point where my life turned into a complete disaster.

At the same time, I have to respect what others have said here, who have been in the opposite position, and that's what I was trying to express with my comment. It seems it's not an easy road, whether you're diagnosed or not.

But for what it's worth – yes I do suspect that therapists, parents, and teachers all face this difficult dilemma, whether to formally diagnose a child or not. I do suspect they often try to convince themselves (naively so) that the child's problems aren't as serious as they imagine. I know that's how my own parents and teachers felt. "She's a smart girl, she'll eventually find her place in the world." (Um, no.)

Anyway, I am sorry if my comment offended. (I seem to find myself apologizing for at least 50% of the posts I make these days... I really should just shut up! )