Childhood as an Undiagnosed Autistic
Looking back on signs of autism
When I was a kid, autism wasn’t included in the DSM. There was no way I could’ve been recognized as autistic. I had no support needs at school and my parents seemed resigned to having an oddball child. I was so grown up and yet so immature.
I’ve realized that many grew up undiagnosed just like me. We struggle to fit in as adults in a world that feels foreign. Some of us don’t discover our neurological divergence until our child is diagnosed. Others stumble across the truth accidentally. But in either case, the realization can reframe everything in life.
I thought I’d share some of the things that could have clued someone into the fact that I was autistic as a kid. Maybe you had some similar experiences in your childhood or perhaps you’ll recognize signs in a child you know.
It’s worth looking into because discovering autism is like solving a mystery and suddenly everything makes so much sense. I find that I can forgive myself when I understand that I wasn’t bad or broken or not good enough. I was different, trying to cope in a world that was not designed for my comfort and where I could never succeed by neurotypical standards.
