Many people including self-diagnosed Autistics want to know the point of being diagnosed with autism at 60 or even 50.
Oooh, let me count the ways.
Sometimes it could be a genuine curiosity by a neurotypical who has no idea what it’s like to go through one’s life without knowing why they’re different.
But there are also people who ask this question with a snarky or snippy undertone – implying that it’s pointless to seek an autism assessment this late in life.
So below is someone sincerely asking why anyone would want an autism diagnosis at age 60.
Someone responded in a most eloquent way – which I will also expound upon.
Got My Autism Diagnosis at 59
I was driven to get an ASD assessment when I began realizing that autism was the only condition that explained so many things about my life experiences and how I think and have always thought.
The diagnosis is so much more than a seven-page PDF report.
It’s human nature – whether you’re on the Spectrum or a neurotypical – to want answers about yourself to fill in gaps, to make sense of things, to know “THAT’S why.”
I’d imagine that the more naturally inquisitive someone is, the more likely they’ll seek out a formal evaluation if they suspect autism.
Getting that assessment and hearing the diagnosis just goes with the territory of being naturally curious, and especially if one has always been fascinated by human psychology (me!).
At 58 I began wondering if I’m autistic (I won’t go into the details as to why; just suffice it to say, I became pretty convinced at this age).
The soonest I could get an autism assessment scheduled was in February of 2022.
In March I received the PDF showing the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
The examining psychologist had absolutely no financial incentive to toss out this diagnosis (which is what a lot of skeptics believe is the case these days).
If only those naysayers could read the report; they’d understand why I got the diagnosis.
I was just as autistic at 59 as I was at five.
I was just as autistic at 59 as I was at five.
A very late life diagnosis of autism is just as valid as a childhood one.
Why seek an autism diagnosis at 60? Or 40, even?
In no particular order, here are the reasons an adult would want to find out if they’re autistic, even if they’re around 60 or even of older age.
Explanation of Past Failures
I’m sure that any Autist with a middle age or later diagnosis will tell you that the diagnosis gives them some degree of relief or removal of guilt, regarding past behaviors that they can now see were driven by their neurodivergent brain.
This doesn’t mean they’ve excused behavior that others might’ve seen as completely out of line or “assholey.”
They’re likely still going to feel guilty and remorseful for the hurtful behavior.
But an autism diagnosis will take the edge off of that, providing some relief and a blunting of the guilt – especially if those whom they caused distress to are no longer around.
The very late diagnosed Autistic can now think, “Okay, I wasn’t such a jackass or selfish clod after all. It was my autism.”
Now again, get this: By no means does this realization mean that they’re excusing their behavior and blaming others. NO.
It means they just don’t feel as crummy about past incidents.
Furthermore, if those whom they caused aggravation to are still around, they now can share with them the diagnosis – in a way that sounds genuine and sincere, rather than using it as an excuse.
For example, I can explain to my parents about how a sudden change in plans could throttle some Autistics.
“Remember that time at a Las Vegas hotel when you told me to come to your room at 9:00 next morning to then go down for breakfast?
“Well, I knocked at 9:00; you told me to come in — but that it’d be a while because you and Pop were watching Zeus on the video.”
Zeus was their white German shepherd, staying at a kennel while we were in Las Vegas.
The kennel had a program where owners could view their dogs in their kennels remotely. And that’s what my parents had been doing.
For reasons that, to this day, I cannot understand (other than knowing it’d been my autism), I threw a hissy fit.
If only I could go back in time and patiently share the viewing with them!
Why, oh why couldn’t I have just been like, “Oh, I’ll just sit over here and wait,” or, “Oh, let me see Zeus!”
The really striking thing about this was that I loved that dog! WTF had gotten into me? This incident has always stuck with me, guilt and all.
• The discovery that one is autistic can help them understand, at any age, the past and to face the many years still ahead with a self-knowledge they never owned before.
• It can help us forgive ourselves for some past mistakes.
• It can help us explain to loved-ones in a way that we couldn’t articulate before.
• We can now make changes in our lives, even in our 50s and 60s if that’s when the autism diagnosis was given, to help us meet our needs. These changes can be immense.
Finally Getting the Instruction Manual on Social Navigation
Social navigation is markedly different for autistic people.
A diagnosis, no matter how late in life, will help bring a little more understanding in this area, and can actually help us learn how to navigate social settings better.
That autism diagnosis at 60 or whenever will enable us to more likely recognize when the difference in our brain’s wiring is on center stage during a group conversation, for instance.
We can then make an adjustment, and even though that adjustment is something that would come intuitively and subconsciously to NTs, it still helps to know, “Okay, I think this is when I can insert a comment to appear engaged with these nice people.”
Going undiagnosed for so long can cause decades of difficulty and confusion for many Autistics who don’t have this diagnosis (“the piece of paper”) as context for their behavioral tendencies and social and workplace interactions.
Officially Finding Your “Tribe”
Perhaps a person late in middle age, or even older, would like to know with diagnostic certainty that they’ve finally found their “tribe,” as in, people whose brains are wired similarly to theirs.
Though the autistic community is very welcoming of those who are self-diagnosed, it’s also valid for the self-diagnosed to ultimately pursue an assessment as a way of sealing the deal, of ridding that nagging idea that something other than autism could be what they “have.”
You have to realize that by nature, many autistic people are analytical and detail oriented, viewing the world through a logic-based lens.
It would only stand to reason that this kind of mind would need an official diagnosis – whether they’re 20 or 60.
Perhaps that “piece of paper” helps make an older Autistic feel a sense of true belonging when socializing with other Autists.
Accommodations
The late diagnosis can also help the individual understand when they may need accommodations or modifications, and precisely what those would be.
Accommodations don’t mean they’re going to now try to get a monthly disability payout.
They may have every intention in the world of keeping their full-time job. Or perhaps they’re already retired.
But the official ASD diagnosis means they’ll be better poised to navigate the concept of accommodations in their environment, when possible.
A formal diagnosis means that they can now present the documentation to a stubborn employer about an accommodation – such as dimmer lighting or changing the location of their workstation to a quieter area.
Why NOT?
When someone asks why anyone would want to pursue an autism diagnosis at age 60, we have to wonder if this person thinks that 60 is old.
These must be mostly young adults wondering about this.
Also keep in mind that a 60-year-old may anticipate living another 30 years of vibrant health.
Why shouldn’t they seek out an autism diagnosis if they suspect this is what they’ve had all their life? WHY NOT?
Imagine it: Someone around 60 gets a clinical autism diagnosis that tells them that their lifelong struggles originated from innate brain wiring, from being programmed differently – and that they don’t have flawed character after all.
