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Late diagnosed and turning 50

db05

db05

Member
Hi all :) I’m turning 50 soon. I became aware at 46 and was diagnosed at 48. So all of this came relatively, as a whirlwind. I feel like I’ve sorted out all the truths and falsehoods as best I can now, but 50 is a new barrier that is extra difficult for an autistic. Especially those who are child-less, sibling-less so with no future generation to be inspired by and help develop.

At 40, my Aspie-ness took a major shift to the extreme, unbeknownst to me at the time. I also became much more religious. Now that I’m aware, I feel like things are much worse (especially when I see recent photos of myself – who is that!? That was me, yesterday?) Though I think that this is a result of improving self-awareness; I’ve looked like that for 15 years, I just didn’t know it?

Kinda like the inner mind is getting deeper – much more intellectual, spiritual, reflective while the outer self is becoming more erratic or disheveled? Anyone else feel like that? Like for us, the more we excel in the mind, the more we're seen as idiots by most of society.

So that’s my thoughts – anyone have input on turning 50? Even on an autistic friend of family member at that age. Thanks my fellow Aspies and for helping anyone here at this age.

On a side-note to any admin listening, those reCAPTCHAs on verifying an account. Gosh maybe its just me but that’s really frustrating. “Did I miss a motorcycle there? Is my astigmatism getting the best of me?” AI will if it hasn’t already, move way beyond that. And since its just yet another struggle for ironically, people like us – move onto a better authentication strategy! This is easily hack-able but just causes headaches for well-meaning members.
 
Hi, nice for you to join. I hope you find it helpful. I am 52 and went through the whole turning 50 thing in 2023. I tried to take it calmly but the COVID and unsettlement in the world derailed my plans and affected me.

I was diagnosed at 49 having been treated that way since about 42 in hospital with an in house diagnosis. Of course it affected me from an early age.

Your birthday will come and go. It is a bit of a gimmick. This is a modern age construction and garbage. You are you still and at 60 you will think you were fine at 50. May be there are some high profile people you could look at around your age and know you are not old. Victoria Beckham is around this age etc and David Beckham. Robbie from Take that as well...

You might want to read this post as well, don't let it put you of that is about religion; I wrote it and it helped to cope with a milestone and shifting through what is untrue in life about getting older.
Significance of ages in the Bible
 
Welcome to the site. I'm glad you are here. I am 71 and have known I was autistic for only seven years. It was a shocking realization, especially since I worked with developmental disabilities for a couple of decades or so.

I am still me. You are still you. We are all different, but also have had the general experience of not fitting in, being weird.

I can't remember if 50 was a challenge. 60 wasn't much of a challenge, but 70 has been hard to take. I'm not really old, am I? ;)
 
Hi @db05! Lots of late diagnosees here. I was 65. I have a fun picture of my dad (75), myself (50), and my son (25) standing together at my dad's 75th birthday. (Funny thing, I look the oldest in the picture.)

At 50, I had no clue what autism was about, so certainly didn't suspect it applied to me. I just knew I was weird, and had set myself up to accomodate my quirks. I don't really remember anything challenging about turning 50. It was just a number (other than the ages thing above).
lizaed 2.webp
 
Thank you all for your feedback. And Rachie, for the Old Testament link. Regardless of one’s religion, hopefully this thread can stay a bit for those of us around the 50 milestone.
 
Welcome to the Autism Forums. Yeah, it's never too late to discover who and what we are.

For me that was when I was 55. The same year the DSM-V re-designated Asperger's Syndrome as Autism Spectrum Disorder.
 
I'm over 50. I'm also new here. I got diagnosed at the end of 2023. I haven't given age a thought since I was about 40, because I've just wanted to die the whole time, and when you're like that, some estranged person, likely even the ones who hurt you most in life, coming in and wishing you a happy birthday just makes you feel even worse. I wasn't aware I was turning 50 when I turned 50. I quit counting. When it's too hard to get from one day to the next, you can't think in terms of years. And so I didn't. I still don't. I don't know my exact age, even as I type. I just know I'm over 50.

Having said that, when I make the effort to think about it and remember the year I turned 50, it was the best year of my life in one sense, because that's the year I found my home on Earth and my community--two things I'd never had before. And it was the beginning of a new life path for me. And from then, I have been trying to put as much mental-emotional distance between me and my family as possible. I'm with safe people now, and I don't want to go back into that family.
 
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