Late-Identified Autism Interview: I Love the Unique Way I Perceive the World and Think
This is the 16th interview in my series Interviewing Late-Identified Autistics. Liz Hunt is a late-identified autistic. My questions are in bold and Liz’s responses follow in regular typeface.
What is your preferred name and pronouns?
Liz Hunt (she/her)
How old were you when you learned you were autistic?
I discovered I was autistic at the beginning of 2022 when I was 50.
How did you learn you are autistic?
I suspected a couple times in the past that I could be autistic. On those occasions in my 30s and 40s, when I asked my former therapist and/or my mom, they both unequivocally told me it wasn’t possible because I was too “high-functioning” — I made eye contact, navigated small talk, had several long-lasting friendships (including a few from college), and worked full-time in a demanding role.
The extreme isolation I experienced during the pandemic brought my autism to the forefront and broke my ability to mask. A pivotal experience led to my discovery.
Last December, while being interviewed for a high-profile podcast, I had what I would later come to believe was an isolated dissociative episode (twenty minutes of the…
