can u be in your 20's or 30's and still be undiagnosed?

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can u be in your 20-30's and still be undiagnosed as "As"?

Sure. Plenty of folks here weren't diagnosed until their forties and even beyond.

Speaking from the UK, the first person diagnosed with 'classic' autism here was in 1971, and Asperger's wasn't available as a diagnosis until 1990, at which point even that was relatively unknown. Anyone between approximately 20-40 years old or upwards with autistic traits could theoretically be an undiagnosed aspie.

I can see obvious autistic traits in both my parents, my dad being very nearly aged 70 - and he's led a full life as a member of the armed forces and as part of a management team for a national vehicle merchandise

I was 23 when I was finally diagnosed. I had no clue beforehand as to what aspergers was until my family saw a show on it.

I was diagnosed at 35, when my son was diagnosed.

Similiarly, here in the United States the Dx wasn't available until 1994. I was diagnosed in 2001 at age 34.

I was 23 when I was diagnosed, after I started therapy when my parents died.

I'm 23 and was just diagnosed

Yes, there have surely been autistic people throughout history, but autism was not its own diagnosis until 1980 and Asperger's until 1994. There are plenty of misconceptions about "classic" autism too, including the false presumption of majority association with intellectual disability. Leo Kanner himself, when he identified autism as its own disability in 1943, spoke of all the kids he worked with as possessing "good cognitive potentiality".

I was just diagnosed and I'm 22, so yeah.

thanks for the reply's

Anyone can be undiagnosed, regardless of age because the system does not pick up everyone. I was told repeatedly that my daughter's problems were down to bad parenting. 3 years ago, when she was 14, we moved from the UK to Sweden and straight away they saw what I was concerned about. She was formally assessed and diagnosed with Asperger's. In the UK I couldn't even get an assessment for her.

My nephew is now 16 and still in the UK. He has all the problems she had but worse. So bad that he doesn't even go to mainstream school. Without a shadow of a doubt he has Asperger's. I would bet my life on it. He has never had any formal assessment either. His mother is now using my daughter's diagnosis as a motivator to try and get him properly assessed. Whether it will or happen or not, who knows.

I got my DX in 2009 when I was 30 years old. I had plenty of previous diagnoses of depression, anxiety and "naughtiness" but from when the possibility of AS was first mentioned to me (by a psychotherapist I was referred to after a few bad episodes) it took me another 18 months of fighting to get a proper assessment and subsequent diagnosis. The GP I spoke to first dismissed the possibility of having AS out of hand saying essentially that because I held down a job and had a degree, I couldn't possibly be autistic.

I think that kind of attitude is less prevalent than it used to be, but it still happens.

I'm 25 and have not been evaluated. It was not something that was important to my parents at all. I went to a therapist for a few years after they got divorced but that was as far as the professional help went. I believe my dad has signs as well, but there is no way he would be evaluated. He's almost 50.

My dad is a textbook case of asperger's but also undiagnosed. He is 75.

Very true, autism of any kind isn't routinely screened for in the UK like it is in many other countries and GPs here don't seem to be trained to look for signs (as far as I'm aware), so a vast number of people 'slip through the net' (owing to there being practically no 'net'). The diagnostic situation seems to be improving in line with public awareness though, maybe there will be an adequate programme here in 15-20 years...

I hope your nephew gets to see someone with the knowledge and experience to provide any help appropriate to his circumstances