{"id":124258,"date":"2024-11-10T15:01:53","date_gmt":"2024-11-10T08:01:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=124258"},"modified":"2024-11-10T15:01:53","modified_gmt":"2024-11-10T08:01:53","slug":"i-felt-broken-before-being-diagnosed-at-70","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=124258","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;I felt broken before being diagnosed at 70&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 ejjhCR\">\n<div data-testid=\"hero-image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/bbcx\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 cOpVbP hide-when-no-script\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/35b2\/live\/574975b0-9d19-11ef-9260-19e6a950e830.png.webp 240w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/35b2\/live\/574975b0-9d19-11ef-9260-19e6a950e830.png.webp 320w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/35b2\/live\/574975b0-9d19-11ef-9260-19e6a950e830.png.webp 480w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/640\/cpsprodpb\/35b2\/live\/574975b0-9d19-11ef-9260-19e6a950e830.png.webp 640w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/35b2\/live\/574975b0-9d19-11ef-9260-19e6a950e830.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1024\/cpsprodpb\/35b2\/live\/574975b0-9d19-11ef-9260-19e6a950e830.png.webp 1024w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1536\/cpsprodpb\/35b2\/live\/574975b0-9d19-11ef-9260-19e6a950e830.png.webp 1536w\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/35b2\/live\/574975b0-9d19-11ef-9260-19e6a950e830.png.webp\" loading=\"eager\" alt=\"Courtesy of Andrew Davies Andrew and his wife Zoubida on their wedding day. He is in a navy striped suit, she is in a white dress and bold blue and silver necklace, they are looking at one another and smiling. \" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\"\/><span class=\"sc-a34861b-2 fxQYxK\">Courtesy of Andrew Davies<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"sc-8353772e-0 cvNhQw\">Until he turned 70, Andrew was one of the estimated 90% of autistic people over 50 who are undiagnosed<!-- --><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">All his life Andrew Davies has had a sense of not fitting in, that he was somehow broken, weird or there was something wrong with him.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">That was until he discovered he was autistic at the age of 70.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;It&#8217;s just who I am and how my brain is wired&#8230; how I experience the world is just different,&#8221; he said.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Research has suggested that like Andrew, there are many others who have spent a lifetime not knowing they are on the <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/autism\/what-is-autism\/\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">autistic spectrum<!-- --><\/a>.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Between 250,000 and 600,000 people over the age of 50 in England may be autistic but undiagnosed, <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/lanepe\/article\/PIIS2666-7762(23)00045-5\/fulltext\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">a study of primary care records in England<!-- --><\/a> has suggested.  <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">That would mean more than 90% of autistic people over 50 were undiagnosed, its researchers have said.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;Autism was seen for many years as a childhood condition but it&#8217;s a lifelong condition and as people get older they remain autistic,&#8221; said Andrew.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 jFCfG\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/bbcx\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 cOpVbP hide-when-no-script\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/fdd5\/live\/eeceacc0-9d19-11ef-be05-2161263ad1d7.jpg.webp 240w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/fdd5\/live\/eeceacc0-9d19-11ef-be05-2161263ad1d7.jpg.webp 320w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/fdd5\/live\/eeceacc0-9d19-11ef-be05-2161263ad1d7.jpg.webp 480w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/640\/cpsprodpb\/fdd5\/live\/eeceacc0-9d19-11ef-be05-2161263ad1d7.jpg.webp 640w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/fdd5\/live\/eeceacc0-9d19-11ef-be05-2161263ad1d7.jpg.webp 800w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1024\/cpsprodpb\/fdd5\/live\/eeceacc0-9d19-11ef-be05-2161263ad1d7.jpg.webp 1024w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1536\/cpsprodpb\/fdd5\/live\/eeceacc0-9d19-11ef-be05-2161263ad1d7.jpg.webp 1536w\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/fdd5\/live\/eeceacc0-9d19-11ef-be05-2161263ad1d7.jpg.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Andrew in a white T-shirt and orange cardigan standing on his doorstep looking into the camera \" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"sc-8353772e-0 cvNhQw\">Andrew had a career in politics before retiring in 2019<!-- --><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Andrew, now 72, retired in 2019 following a long and impressive career.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">He was a minister for the first 10 years of the Welsh government and the assembly member (now known as <!-- --><a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/uk-wales-politics-52442634\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">Member of the Senedd, or MS,<!-- --><\/a>) for Swansea West from 1999 to 2011.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">After standing down from the assembly he was chairman of what was then Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board for six years.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Perhaps not the most obvious line of work for someone who says they have &#8220;often struggled understanding and dealing with other people&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;I can be in a group and it&#8217;s keeping up with conversations, knowing what to say&#8230; it&#8217;s not knowing the rules of small talk,&#8221; said Andrew, who lives in Mount Pleasant, Swansea.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">From childhood he preferred being alone and one-on-one friendships to groups.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">This became harder to deal with in secondary school.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;I just completely struggled really,&#8221; he said. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;I felt there was something broken, there was something weird, something wrong.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">He found the social rules and structure of working life easier to navigate but would often feel &#8220;bombarded&#8221; and &#8220;peopled out&#8221; by the end of a long day.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;I suspect people may have thought &#8216;oh he&#8217;s pretty standoffish&#8217; but it&#8217;s a combination of shyness and not knowing what to say,&#8221; he said.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 jFCfG\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/bbcx\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 cOpVbP hide-when-no-script\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/7f4a\/live\/5262ec60-9d1a-11ef-82c3-45a801b7330b.png.webp 240w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/7f4a\/live\/5262ec60-9d1a-11ef-82c3-45a801b7330b.png.webp 320w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/7f4a\/live\/5262ec60-9d1a-11ef-82c3-45a801b7330b.png.webp 480w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/640\/cpsprodpb\/7f4a\/live\/5262ec60-9d1a-11ef-82c3-45a801b7330b.png.webp 640w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/7f4a\/live\/5262ec60-9d1a-11ef-82c3-45a801b7330b.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1024\/cpsprodpb\/7f4a\/live\/5262ec60-9d1a-11ef-82c3-45a801b7330b.png.webp 1024w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1536\/cpsprodpb\/7f4a\/live\/5262ec60-9d1a-11ef-82c3-45a801b7330b.png.webp 1536w\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/7f4a\/live\/5262ec60-9d1a-11ef-82c3-45a801b7330b.png.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Courtesy of Andrew Davies Andrew and his wife Zoubida on their wedding day walking down a country road. He is wearing a navy stripped suit and she is wearing a red and gold full-length dress\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\"\/><span class=\"sc-a34861b-2 fxQYxK\">Courtesy of Andrew Davies<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"sc-8353772e-0 cvNhQw\">Andrew met his wife Zoubida eight years ago <!-- --><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Andrew also experiences<!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autismspeaks.org\/sensory-issues\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\"> hypersensitivity<!-- --><\/a>.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;Discos and rock concerts I never really enjoyed, I found the sound for example and the lights almost overwhelming and uncomfortable,&#8221; he said.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Other sounds, be it his wife popping chewing gum or a neighbour&#8217;s dog barking, and some smells, such as congealed fat or grease, and sights such as fluorescent lights, have always made him very uncomfortable.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;I just have to get away,&#8221; he said.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;You try to ignore it but it&#8217;s a physical, visceral reaction.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Something that has always served him well in work he now knows to be another trait of autism &#8211; <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autism.org.uk\/advice-and-guidance\/topics\/behaviour\/obsessions\/all-audiences\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">intense interests, also known as hyperfixations.<!-- --><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">He said he often became preoccupied with a topic he was interested in, throwing himself into intense research.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;I want to really get to know that issue in depth whereas most people will think &#8216;that&#8217;s interesting&#8217; and move on,&#8221; he said.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">He said researching autism had become &#8220;yet another rabbit hole I&#8217;ve disappeared down&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">It was this tendency to become overly engaged in topics that he first identified as a possible autistic trait in himself.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">He was chatting to a colleague who had recently been diagnosed with autism.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">The colleague said he had been working with a consultant psychiatrist who took him to one side and said: &#8220;I hope you don&#8217;t mind me saying this but you&#8217;ve got all the classic signs of autism.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Seeing a parallel between the colleague&#8217;s detailed research and long emails and his own &#8220;the penny dropped&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Andrew started reading and listening to podcasts about autism and decided to take the online questionnaire designed by psychologist Prof Simon Baron-Cohen.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;I came out very firmly in the middle of the spectrum,&#8221; he said.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">He then decided to seek a formal diagnosis, discovered the NHS waiting was three to four years so in the end went private.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 jFCfG\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/bbcx\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 cOpVbP hide-when-no-script\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/0459\/live\/3a6eea40-9d1b-11ef-be05-2161263ad1d7.jpg.webp 240w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/0459\/live\/3a6eea40-9d1b-11ef-be05-2161263ad1d7.jpg.webp 320w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/0459\/live\/3a6eea40-9d1b-11ef-be05-2161263ad1d7.jpg.webp 480w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/640\/cpsprodpb\/0459\/live\/3a6eea40-9d1b-11ef-be05-2161263ad1d7.jpg.webp 640w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/0459\/live\/3a6eea40-9d1b-11ef-be05-2161263ad1d7.jpg.webp 800w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1024\/cpsprodpb\/0459\/live\/3a6eea40-9d1b-11ef-be05-2161263ad1d7.jpg.webp 1024w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1536\/cpsprodpb\/0459\/live\/3a6eea40-9d1b-11ef-be05-2161263ad1d7.jpg.webp 1536w\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/0459\/live\/3a6eea40-9d1b-11ef-be05-2161263ad1d7.jpg.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Andrew in a white T-shirt and orange cardigan sitting in an armchair reading at home. \" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"sc-8353772e-0 cvNhQw\">Andrew has always had intense interests and likes to find out as much as he can about a topic<!-- --><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">What does having a diagnosis mean to him?<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;It was just having that confirmation really&#8230; I wasn&#8217;t broken or weird, or something wrong, it&#8217;s just who I am and how my brain is wired,&#8221; he said.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;When you get to this age you look back on your life, from role to soul.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;I think it helps you come to terms with things that have happened in your life.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Andrew has experienced depression since he was a teenager &#8211; <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autism.org.uk\/advice-and-guidance\/topics\/mental-health\/depression\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">research suggests<!-- --><\/a> autistic people may be more likely to experience depression than non-autistic people, according to National Autistic Society. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">He has also experienced periods of ill health which he now believes to be <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autism.org.uk\/advice-and-guidance\/professional-practice\/autistic-burnout\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">autistic burnout<!-- --><\/a>.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 jFCfG\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/bbcx\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 cOpVbP hide-when-no-script\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/3fb7\/live\/6f20c0b0-9d1b-11ef-be05-2161263ad1d7.jpg.webp 240w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/3fb7\/live\/6f20c0b0-9d1b-11ef-be05-2161263ad1d7.jpg.webp 320w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/3fb7\/live\/6f20c0b0-9d1b-11ef-be05-2161263ad1d7.jpg.webp 480w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/640\/cpsprodpb\/3fb7\/live\/6f20c0b0-9d1b-11ef-be05-2161263ad1d7.jpg.webp 640w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/3fb7\/live\/6f20c0b0-9d1b-11ef-be05-2161263ad1d7.jpg.webp 800w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1024\/cpsprodpb\/3fb7\/live\/6f20c0b0-9d1b-11ef-be05-2161263ad1d7.jpg.webp 1024w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1536\/cpsprodpb\/3fb7\/live\/6f20c0b0-9d1b-11ef-be05-2161263ad1d7.jpg.webp 1536w\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/3fb7\/live\/6f20c0b0-9d1b-11ef-be05-2161263ad1d7.jpg.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Andrew in a white T-shirt and orange cardigan standing holding a sinver kettle in his kitchen\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"sc-8353772e-0 cvNhQw\">Andrew lives in Swansea with his wife <!-- --><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Figures suggest people over 50 are not being diagnosed with autism at anywhere near the rate of children &#8211; <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/pdfs\/journals\/lanepe\/PIIS2666-7762(23)00045-5.pdf\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB\" rel=\"noopener\">one in 34 children have an autism diagnosis compared with only 1 in 6,000 adults over 50<!-- --><\/a>.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;There&#8217;s likely to be a very large underserved population who deserve to have the support they need,&#8221; said Dr Gavin Stewart, a research fellow at King&#8217;s College London, who is interested in ageing and autism spectrum disorders.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">He said one reason for older people going undiagnosed was in the &#8217;60s, when they were in their youth, autism was viewed as a very rare condition &#8220;whereas today it is viewed in a far more common way and the prevalence rates reflect that&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">He said for many older people receiving a diagnosis was a &#8220;lightbulb moment&#8221; and meant they could better understand their life experiences and it also opened doors for help and support, for instance from employers or those providing residential care.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">He would like clinicians working in older adult services to be more able to  recognise undiagnosed autistic people.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;We know that autistic people often need additional help and support throughout their lives to support them with their mental health and ensure they&#8217;re living happy lives,&#8221; he said.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">&#8220;Having the right help and support could be a real key factor in ensuring that they&#8217;re ageing well and I think that everyone is entitles to have the best life that they can.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cy87542l14ro\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Courtesy of Andrew Davies Until he turned 70, Andrew was one of the estimated 90% of autistic people over 50 who are undiagnosed All his life Andrew Davies has had &hellip; 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