Besides the «authenticity» question. Since the focus is on older people; for many of these symptoms may well be early or emerging dementia of several kinds, - if it is not a lifelong pattern. However, the typical autistic experiences and views of the social and conceptual world is truely different from the majority. Realizing this with acceptance and adjustment rather than shame and guilt can be helpful for them as well as us.
Getting an autism (and ADHD) diagnosis at 39 was life changing. So much made sense for me - why things were so hard, why I was misunderstood over and over again, why I misunderstood others all the time (I take everything very literally and have a hard time understanding joking tones) - and it was a true relief.
I went for a diagnosis after my kids all started struggling with mental health around puberty. They all were neurodivergent in some way - ADHD, autism, OCD. And then the question was, well, this is genetic, which parent has what? And I was like ohhhhhh. Knowing earlier would have majorly impacted my life choices. But now I have answers for my kids and for myself.
You can’t be serious. Do you have experience with autism, either personally or professionally? I’m curious to know how you arrived at this proposition.
I’m not claiming personal expertise, just referring to areas that are being studied. There’s research looking at things like gut health and prenatal vitamin D levels, and I’ve also noticed autism diagnoses appear higher in some colder countries compared to hotter ones. I’m not saying that proves a cause, but it does raise questions about whether environmental factors might play a role alongside genetics and diagnosis practices.
True, autism is identified through behaviour and there can be variation in how it presents between individuals. I just think that still leaves room to consider how much things like gut health, vitamin D in pregnancy, and other environmental factors can influence how those behaviours show up. So I don’t think we should assume every presentation is purely fixed or purely genetic without looking at those too.
Yes, masking is exhausting. I scored very high on the masking diagnostic test. I didn’t even realize I was doing it - monitoring eye contact, following a formula for conversations, etc.
Besides the «authenticity» question. Since the focus is on older people; for many of these symptoms may well be early or emerging dementia of several kinds, - if it is not a lifelong pattern. However, the typical autistic experiences and views of the social and conceptual world is truely different from the majority. Realizing this with acceptance and adjustment rather than shame and guilt can be helpful for them as well as us.
Getting an autism (and ADHD) diagnosis at 39 was life changing. So much made sense for me - why things were so hard, why I was misunderstood over and over again, why I misunderstood others all the time (I take everything very literally and have a hard time understanding joking tones) - and it was a true relief.
I went for a diagnosis after my kids all started struggling with mental health around puberty. They all were neurodivergent in some way - ADHD, autism, OCD. And then the question was, well, this is genetic, which parent has what? And I was like ohhhhhh. Knowing earlier would have majorly impacted my life choices. But now I have answers for my kids and for myself.
What if what we’re calling autism is actually just a gut or diet problem showing up as behaviour??
Since autism is defined only by behaviour, it's likely that there are many different explanations for different people.
You can’t be serious. Do you have experience with autism, either personally or professionally? I’m curious to know how you arrived at this proposition.
I’m not claiming personal expertise, just referring to areas that are being studied. There’s research looking at things like gut health and prenatal vitamin D levels, and I’ve also noticed autism diagnoses appear higher in some colder countries compared to hotter ones. I’m not saying that proves a cause, but it does raise questions about whether environmental factors might play a role alongside genetics and diagnosis practices.
True, autism is identified through behaviour and there can be variation in how it presents between individuals. I just think that still leaves room to consider how much things like gut health, vitamin D in pregnancy, and other environmental factors can influence how those behaviours show up. So I don’t think we should assume every presentation is purely fixed or purely genetic without looking at those too.
I hope I’m making sense!
Thank you so much for sharing your perspective.
Yes, masking is exhausting. I scored very high on the masking diagnostic test. I didn’t even realize I was doing it - monitoring eye contact, following a formula for conversations, etc.