autism in elders

raising awareness

This is the first edition of my one page autism in elders awareness flyer. Everybody is welcome to reprint and distribute it if you see fit to do so.

AUTISM in older adults???

Autisticelders@gmail.com
Autistic Elders on Facebook. ​https://facebook.com/groups/543548473159235/
Blog ​https://oldladywithautism.blog/author/debrabrisch3436/

LOSER! Thoughtless, rude, cold, uncaring, inept, inappropriate, failure, outsider, weirdo, clumsy, out-of-it, gullible, stupid. Have others given you these labels? Has it seemed impossible to do anything right? Have you been told it is all your fault? Do you think your life has been much harder than other people’s but not sure why?

Do you have trouble understanding what other people expect of you? Are people often angry with you and it is not clear how it happened or why?

Are you too open and trusting? Is it difficult to stop others from using or abusing you?

Are you bullied, and do you understand why?

Are you estranged from family members or do you have few or no close friends?

Have you had “people problems” at home, work, school, and other places?

Are you often frustrated, hurt, angry, sad, depressed, or anxious? Do you feel misunderstood and socially isolated? Do you have a sense of “otherness”?

Do you wonder why it is so hard for you to do so many things that seem to come easily to others?

Do you self medicate using cigarettes, booze, street drugs or other things to help you deal with life?

Do you have a very narrow range of interests, but the interests you have are intense and all consuming?

Do you have a lot of self blame, do you believe the negative labels you have been given?

What if You found out that it was not all your fault after all?

What if I told you that you might have an in-born neurological difference and that you have struggles that other people simply do not have because of your unusual neurology?

HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT ADULT AUTISM ?

Today most scientists believe that autism is probably genetic, although causes have not been completely identified, there are several genes that have been identified as associated with autism. Autism is present at birth, it is not caught, does not develop, can not be cured.

Autism causes uneven neurological development and is present at birth.
All autistic struggles are based on neurological functioning and have to do with sensory processing. Our understanding of our whole world is based on information gathered and processed by our senses. Every person with autism has sensory processing struggles, but in every autistic person the struggles are different.

What happened to all of the people with autism before 1980? We are the Lost Generations. We grew up struggling and being blamed for our lack of success. Nobody knew! Autism affects approximately 2 percent of the population according to conservative estimates. Some studies suggest autism may affect up to 7 percent of the general population. There are millions of undiscovered and undiagnosed adults ( over 21) who are unknowingly autistic in the general population. Autistic struggles can be recognized and helped with diagnosis. Diagnosis can be life changing.

Diagnosis even at a very late age can bring healing of hurts, self understanding, and provide new ways to live a better life through accommodations once it is known that one is autistic.

Are you somebody who is struggling in life? Do you know somebody who might find the descriptions here familiar? Undiagnosed autistic people have gone through life not understanding that so many of their struggles are not their fault, that life really is more difficult for them, and that there are many ways to make life easier once we know about our autism.
Contact Autistic Elders at ​Autisticelders@gmail.com​ or check out the links at the beginning of these pages for more information.