The Age Someone Gets Diagnosed With Autism Matters
This article can also be viewed at https://write.as/non-monetized-together/the-age-someone-gets-diagnosed-with-autism-matters
The autism experience can mean many different things, and the age of diagnosis is one of the reasons for this. As someone who was diagnosed early, I noticed that my life experience is very different from people who were diagnosed as adults.
For example, I don’t have a negative attitude towards masking, or hiding my autistic traits, because I’ve always known that it’s something I can turn off and on when necessary.
People who were diagnosed as adults did not have that knowledge growing up. Since they didn’t know they were autistic, they didn’t know that too much masking can be unhealthy for them. As a result, they usually tried masking all the time so they could fit into society. This is why they dislike masking so much.
Another difference is that I’m content with the fact that I need to work harder than neurotypicals in order to catch up to them. It’s my default way of approaching my life.
Yet this has a more negative connotation for those diagnosed late. When someone doesn’t know they have a neurological condition, they can feel frustrated and confused as to why they aren’t as successful as their peers who put in the same amount of effort and come from a similar background. It’s only when they get diagnosed do they realize they have to put in more effort.
Even after they find this out, it’s disheartening that they spent all those years unaware of this, so they can be bitter about the fact that they need to try harder.
Since I was diagnosed early, I was fortunate enough not to have this experience, and so there’s no reason for me to have a problem with putting in extra effort.
There’s one more difference I’ll share with you. Because I’m autistic, I had trouble figuring things out on my own as a child, so I had to rely a lot on listening to what adults had to say in order to learn about how the world works. This helped me get in the habit of being eager to hear other people’s perspectives and make something meaningful from them. This interest of mine inspired me to create Nonmonetized Together.
Meanwhile, those who were diagnosed late grew up surrounded by people who weren’t considering their autistic perspective when talking to them. These autistic people weren’t getting much use out of what society had to tell them, and this could result in them not being as open to hearing what others have to say.
So don’t ever compare me to people who get diagnosed as adults. My life is a lot different than theirs.
People who might find this article useful: Michael A Davis (because of his article on how perception shapes our lives), Kevin Boon (because of his article about how childhood experiences shape our lives), and Another diagnosis for my schizophrenia (for writing an article about medical diagnosis processes).
EDIT: I just wanted to mention how grateful I am that this article got some discussion and that it resonated with people. It has restored my hope in Nonmonetized Together, the movement this article is a part of. I was originally planning on ending the Nonmonetized Together publication in the near future because even though it was getting a lot of views, very few people were reacting to the articles or getting involved in the Nonmonetized Together community. I began questioning whether people were interested in using the original concepts behind Nonmonetized Together to achieve their own goals. Because of the response this article has gotten from readers, I have reversed my decision and decided to continue posting on here. Thank you, Katharine Gates, Dozingmanatee, Dennis • M.Sc., NDLakeguy, Sam, Lotjeknorrie, Lynn Springle, Bobbipatriciasmith, and anybody else who found meaning in this article!
2ND EDIT: I would highly recommend you read the comments on this article.
To learn about Nonmonetized Together, read this: https://medium.com/non-monetized-together/tired-of-internet-drama-and-nonsense-this-community-can-help-with-that-ce2b276d6b3f
