It might seem scary to find out you’re autistic when you’re an adult. However, a new study by scientists in Bath and London tells us that knowing you’re autistic later in life doesn’t affect your happiness much.
The term “late diagnosis” refers to people who learn they’re autistic as adults. This happens more and more these days, especially among women. Autism is typically diagnosed when people are still kids.
Parents often worry if their child knowing they’re autistic sooner or later would make a big difference in their life.
And adults who find out they’re autistic may wonder how different their life could have been if they knew sooner.
About the Study
A group of researchers from the University of Bath and King’s College London wanted to know if the age someone learns they’re autistic could affect their happiness or quality of life.
They took into account important things like how much money the person’s family makes.
In this study, 300 adults who were autistic told the researchers when they first found out they were autistic.
They also shared a lot of details about themselves, like their age, gender, where they live, their job, how much money they make, and if they have any other mental health conditions.
The researchers also measured their level of autistic traits.
Then, the researchers asked questions about how the participants feel about their life. They asked if they find their life meaningful and if they are happy with the support they get from friends.
Findings of the Study
The study showed that the age someone learns they’re autistic doesn’t really affect how happy they are with their life. There were other things that seemed more important.
For example, women with autism seemed to be happier than men with autism. Also, people who had other mental health issues, like anxiety, were less happy.
What the Researchers Said
Dr. Lucy Livingston, a researcher at both universities, said many people are finding out they’re autistic as adults. This can be a big change for them.
Because we know that many autistic people struggle with happiness, we might think knowing sooner could help. But the research didn’t suggest this.
For some people, knowing sooner helped them. But for others, finding out later was better. In the end, when someone finds out they’re autistic doesn’t really affect how happy they are.
There are many reasons for this. For example, just knowing you’re autistic doesn’t always mean you get extra help.
Dr. Florence Leung, another researcher, said that having more autistic traits was linked to being less happy, no matter when someone found out they were autistic.
She also mentioned that being male and having other mental health conditions were linked to being less happy. These findings suggest that helping autistic people improve their mental health is very important.
In Conclusion
This research shows us that autism isn’t just something that affects kids. Many autistic people are adults, and more will be as our population gets older. Therefore, it’s crucial to study the differences among autistic adults.
This will help us to better understand and help autistic people throughout their lives, rather than treating everyone the same.
If you care about autism, please read studies about a new cause of autism, and vitamin D could help lower the risk of autoimmune diseases.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about rare blood clots after COVID-19 vaccination and gut health plays a role in autism.
The study was published in Autism.
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