For those who were diagnosed later in life, what made you think you were autistic?

I found out when I was 29, diagnosed at 30.

I spent my entire life trying to figure out why everything was so difficult. Why I felt so fundamentally disabled but I couldn't explain how or why.

I struggled so much in teen years but I couldn't figure it out - and doctors just though I was lazy or making excuses.

The same thing happened during my 20's, except autistic burnout got worse and worse over time. Due to this repeated burnout for over a decade, by age 28/29 I was experiencing intensely worsening autistic traits.

Around the same time I met a fellow trans friend who has a lot of similar life experiences to me. She thought she was autistic, and it clicked that I might be too.

A lot of research later... I knew I was without a doubt. I chose to get diagnosed because I want to recover from autistic burnout and try to live the life I never got to have.

/r/AutismInWomen Thread