The “do it yourself” diagnosis ( PS its the same for every other diagnosis too!)

For those of us who are middle aged and well beyond into our “senior” years, autism diagnosis has been hard fought for the most part, with sometimes years of misdiagnosis and years of struggles without the understanding that knowing of our autism brings.

For most of us, even if we find diagnosis, we are left without supports of helpful therapies, accommodations, explanations, guidance and insights .

So many of us are damaged from years of struggles and misunderstandings.

So many of us are seeing for the first time a clear connection to our painful pasts and our changing futures. What now?

Autism has been included in the DSM guide for diagnosis because it is recognized in individuals from only a behavioral clues, since there are not yet biological markers that can be used consistently for reliable diagnosis. ( if we all had green fingernails, and only autistics had those, for example).

Instead, although it is finally being understood that autism is a sign of uneven neurological development, diagnosis has been strictly through seeking unusual, or uncommon behaviors.

I do see this is changing, diagnosing professionals are now also looking for neurological differences, sensory processing struggles, differences in motor skills and motor struggles, physical signs that have a basis in our neurology as individuals.

Changes are slow coming, especially for those in our “golden years” whose time left on earth is naturally biologically limited.

So today we are diagnosed but don’t know what to do about it. Many of us need help to see how our own version of neurological differences affect us and to sort out what things we can do for ourselves to make life better.

Many people begin by seeking “autism therapy” or looking for professionals who must understand their autism in order to give aid of insight, therapy, services, etc.
For the most part there are no “autism specialists” to provide these services and therapies, help or support.

I participate in several groups for older autistic adults online as group member, moderator or administrator.
One frequent question, often from desperately confused and frustrated individuals with recent diagnosis is “where is help>where are supports for me>who is going to do something about this??” ” Nobody is helping me!!!!!! ”

I want to explain that in today’s society our late autism diagnosis is not something other people can fix for you.

Our diagnosis means lots of personal hard work to “make it better” (this is a quote from a recent interaction on line with one individual).

Autism is not a quick fix. In fact for the most part we can’t fix anything about our autism.
It is the neurology we were born with.
There are no pills, no diets, no surgeries, no training that can completely change us to be “normal” or not to be autistic. We gain insights and self understanding when we are diagnosed and are better able to then adjust our lives to help ourselves do better with the neurology we have had since birth.

Instead we need to do our own homework, including seeking help to gain insights into ourselves and our histories, our needs and our personal situations to build new and better lives for ourselves. Nobody else can do this for us.

We must look beyond our autism when we look for help. There is no “autism therapy” for recently diagnosed adults, but there are many services already in place which we can call on.

We can seek out social workers, insurance “navigators”, investment counselors, housekeepers, physicians, psychologists, coaches and employment. We must ask for help finding counseling or therapy and or medication for our anxiety, ptsd, trauma, depression, or other psychological and emotional struggles. There is no “fix it” therapy or “autism counseling” under one roof. Each problem must be addressed separately, since each of us is so different from the other. (just like the rest of life!)

We can find therapy for physical struggles, problems with day to day living requiring help such as housekeeping, help in bathing , supports and adjustments in the home, or if we live in care, adjustments to personal and common spaces which help make our lives easier.

The workers we choose to help us do not necessarily have to know a thing about autism to be helpful in finding new ways of doing things, physical help, and new communication tools, and/or help learning new behavior patterns which can help us live better lives.

We can check out community resources for housing, food, medical care, physical or intellectual disabilities, and so much more without ever bringing up our autism or expecting others to know about autism, or what it means to us.

In truth we( autistic persons) are a very small part of the general population and each of us has needs that are very different. In so many cases there are already places to go, services to seek, help with our needs already in place. Not as “autism therapy, autism help, autism support” but more narrowly , things that can and do address our individual struggles.

The part that is the hardest of all is figuring out our worst struggles and figuring out first of all what we can do to make each problem manageable.

There will always be more resources available to us where there are higher populations. In areas with lower or more sparse populations, there may be the need to relocate, to travel long distances, or to find very creative ways to help yourself live a better life. You might have to make a decision to live in places where there are more services or be extra creative about finding help online.

Nobody is going to come to your door, call you on the phone, or offer assistance just because you are autistic. (If they do, be very wary, it is probably a scam!)

It still falls upon the individuals to be responsible for themselves to find the things they need in life .
There are lots of actual medical diagnoses in life that require similar action from the individual.
Only I, as a diabetic, can make sure I take my meds, watch my diet, exercise properly, wear proper clothing/special shoes or use special furniture, or seek out special aids to make my management of my diabetes easier and help myself be healthier.

When it comes right down to it, we are all stuck in “do it yourself” positions in our lives.

Nobody cares more about our outcomes, our struggles, or the ways we can accept our limitations, work toward better health and an easier life, adjust things in our homes and daily routines.
We alone are responsible for ourselves, to make the best and healthiest decisions we can and to carry out our lives in better and healthier ways.

Nobody has more invested in the outcome.
Nobody has more reason to work as hard on my behalf (or yours) nobody will provide all the answers.

We must seek our own help, we must be responsible for our self care, we must make our own decisions about our lives and must make our own choices.
Nobody is going to rescue us because we are autistic, any more than they will do so for any other cause.

Communities of autistic folks online are a great resource for ideas and input about where to start, how to figure out your needs, how to sort and improve your life. But it will still be up to each individual to put those ideas into action.

Much of this might be self evident to many individuals, but it seems that for autistic folks, sometimes we need detailed explanations. I hope you are finding what you need.