Navigating Life After an Adult Autism Diagnosis
You’re Not Broken – You’re Blooming
If you’ve recently been diagnosed as an adult autist, you might feel like your world has tilted slightly and you are having to deal with a really “BIG” diagnosis, or maybe some things suddenly make more sense. Maybe others feel more confusing than ever. You’re not alone and you’re not behind. You’re just starting a new chapter with a clearer lens and a much better perspective and understanding of yourself. This month, we’re diving deep into the emotional, practical, and personal journey of understanding, accepting, and living with a late autism diagnosis.
Common Reactions Clients have after receiving a diagnosis as an adult
- Relief: “I finally have a name for what I’ve been feeling my whole life.”
- Grief: “Why didn’t I know sooner?”
- Anger: “I was misunderstood, mislabelled, or dismissed for years.”
- Clarity: “Now I know how to move forward in a way that makes sense for me.”
All of these reactions are valid. You’re not overreacting. You’re processing a lifetime of information in a new context.
How to Processing and Coping Tools
- Give Yourself Permission to Feel Everything
A diagnosis can bring up emotions from childhood, school, relationships, and more. Therapy with a specialist psychologist can help you unpack it all safely and help you to make meaning of what this means to you now, and has meant in the past.
- Reclaim Your Story
You get to rewrite the internal narrative. What used to be labelled “too sensitive,” “awkward,” or “lazy” might actually have been signs of sensory processing differences, social exhaustion, or executive function struggles.
- Set New Boundaries
This is your opportunity to stop forcing yourself into neurotypical moulds. You can choose environments, routines, and relationships that respect your needs and not just tolerate them.
- Redefining your Identity After Diagnosis
Being an autist doesn’t mean you’ve changed, it means you’ve learned something crucial about yourself. It’s an invitation to reflect on:- What truly energizes me?
- What drains me that I’ve been pretending to tolerate?
- What do I need to unlearn?
- What kind of support do I deserve?
Your identity is still yours. Now, it’s just more fully understood.
Getting diagnosed later in life can feel like a lot. But it’s also a gift, a chance to stop apologising for who you are and start building a life that fits you. You’re not behind. You’re exactly where you need to be and we’re here to support YOU
By: Athena Faye, Clinical Psychologist (South Africa)
