Despite what is represented in media, Autistic People don’t vanish at the age of 18, and we don’t become “less Autistic” as we age either.
Today is my birthday. I am 36 years old and, despite being Autistic all my life, this is only the 7th birthday I’ve known this truth.
Autism is a lifelong difference, one of many NeuroTypes (or brain types) on the NeuroDivergent spectrum.
Though I didn’t know it, I was Autistic the first twenty-nine years of my life (even before being made aware of this fact). My life experiences are, and always have been, filtered through a NeuroDivergent lens.
Autistic and NeuroDivegent functioning fluctuates from day to day and throughout a person’s lifetime.
Like ALL PEOPLE, NeuroDivergent People can need more (or less) support from the outside world at different times in our lives.
Our ability to function (when compared to our NeuroTypical peers) can very depending on a number of factors, including the current amount of support we have in our lives, our current stress load, and the state of our mental health or any additional health conditions we may have.
Though my presentation and the ways in which I cope and interact with the world are sure to continue to change and evolve over years (regardless of how many coping skills I acquire, or how well I blend in, I will always be Autistic – and my ADHD isn’t going anywhere either).
I didn’t know I was NeuroDivergent for the first part of my life because NeuroDiversity is most often an invisible diversity, that can be easily overlooked by the untrained eye.
NeuroDivergent People’s brain differences are cognitive, which means our differences are frequently invisible, and impact the way we interpret the world, process information, and interact with others.
As we grow and age these differences will change and evolve.
I am not the same Autistic Person I was as a child, because, as an adult, I’ve gained many skills and abilities I didn’t have as a child.
Likewise, as I age I worry over the skills I see myself losing (at this point the decline seems to be more physical than mental, but it’s impossible to know if that will always be the case).
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