I can’t believe I didn’t see autism sooner
Divorce threw so many new stressors into my life that forced me to realize my “failures” were actually just areas where I needed to make autistic accommodations for myself. The kids’ dad is autistic. My children are autistic.
I don’t know how I didn’t recognize I’m autistic sooner. It’s not that I think there is anything wrong with it, I’m just so completely not used to thinking about myself this way. But it’s a relief to recognize it because it explains a lot.
Do other people say to themselves I can’t believe I didn’t see it sooner?
Mostly what people say to me is, “it’s so obvious now.” Once you can see it in yourself, it’s so incredibly obvious to see, and it’s obvious to see it in the people around you. It’s hard to remember a time when you did not understand so much of yourself.
The hardest thing is to be open to hearing you have autism. I notice that when kids get to the age where they need extra time on the SAT it becomes a lot easier to accept autism – because there’s a direct benefit. There’s research now that shows that kids have happier adult lives if their parents tell them their diagnosis early. That might be inventive for parents to decide to be more open.
Penelope