I am 53 and was born in March 1973 and autism came out in 1980 and Aspergers in 1993/1994. I had left school by the time aspergers came out. I left school in 1991.
I left a primary school at 8.5 where I had behavioural issues. That was is in 1981. I went into a new school with a different regime, but struggled to adjust and I had issues with my school work, although I was good at writing but had issues with grammar. I had significant traits of autism/asperger as a child and in my early childhood I was a bit of a tomboy. I don't know where my communication would have made me be diagnosed as either condition before 2013 when the DSM 5 came out.
I was also diagnosed with severe anorexia at 21, although I had eating disorders issues from 14 and aytpical anorexia was noted in my notes at 15. I struggled with eating disorder issues and had two crisis being overwhelmed at 15 and at 20 in 1993.
It wasn't to 2012 that I was approaching 40 and started to wonder about some of my difficulties in life. I came across a highly sensitive person test and I found autism from there and it seemed to fit.
In 2015 and I was admitted to hospital for anorexia and was treated for autism traits in my care package informally at 42 by the NHS and they tested me in house and they are trained for this and I scored highly. I went mute in hospital for one month. I was recommended to go for autism testing. They tried in 2016 but my mum told them before I got a test that I was never ill in childhood and it went no further.
It probably would not have been a good time to test then as I didn't know too much about the 3 categories of autism being in hospital. I went to hospital in 2021 for an eating disorder and on my discharge summary a nurse wrote from observation I should be tested I didn't like it leaving it like that so decided I cannot live with this so decided to see a GP about going for a formal test when I was discharged. I may have just left it at traits being treated informally if they never wrote that.
The forms were filled in and I got through and this time I got my medical notes from my GP from childhood. Much to my shock I found out I was a sick child and may be my mum wanted to forget it. I was admitted to hospital at 2 months for an infection and given antibiotics. I was also back and forward to the GP under 2 for viral issues. I also got an allergy at about 3. I was taken to child minders to sleep in overcrowded places and was told by my dad faced the window in a pram in my time in one as an infant in the week and went home on the weekend.
I got diagnosed by the NHS face to face by two psychologists in 2022 in my late 40s.
I was diagnosed with some level 1 and 2's and level 2 stereotyped behaviour/sensory and repetition. There was some 2’s in all the other two categories, social interaction and social communication.
The eating disorder is in control today and God is supporting me with my autism.
