A few days ago, a Hollywood actor Wentworth Miller, popularly known as Michael Scofield and his outstanding role in Prison Break, announced on his Instagram handle that it’s about a year since he was first informally and then formally diagnosed with autism.
Like waaaaa? I mean ,this is someone we all know. Being diagnosed in adulthood with autism is pretty shocking because most autistic people get diagnosed at a very young age, most times before five years of age. Most shocking part in Miller’s disclosure is that he has always had autism, yet, he’s a fantastic actor. I bet most girls had a crush on him while growing up and guys wanted to be like him. This tells you that having autism doesn’t make the individual different from those who don’t.
A lot of people believe autism is another terrible disorder or disability because we don’t fully understand it, the cause, how it progresses or cure. But Miller and other popular autistic people call it “a gift”.
-What is Autism?
Autism is a spectrum disorder. ASD is a lifelong disability that affects how a person communicates and interacts with other people. It is a neurological disorder that affects a person’s social and communication abilities. It is true when they say autism is a gift, persons with autism have areas of strong interest and have strengths in arts, mathematics, science, music and other visual works.
-How to know if you are autistic as an adult
I bet Wentworth Miller’s revelation has left a lot of people wondering, do I have autism? Am I likely to develop it in my lifetime? Take a look at these self-test questions below, your answer at the end of it will guide you.
Do people often refer to you as unusual and strange?
Have you always wanted a best friend but can’t make one?
Do you avoid eye contact when having a conversation?
Are you always bumping into things and tripping over your feet?
Do you have strict routines that you do every day and dislike unexpected events?
Are you always very formal with friends at a party like you are at work?
Are you good at math’s, sciences or art but struggle in other areas?
Do people say you speak like a robot?
Take the full test here.
-What to do with your diagnosis
Being told that you are autistic at an older age can be very confusing and comes with questions like what do I do next? Do I tell people about it? How do I begin to behave? All these questions are likely to pop up especially when you don’t even have an idea what autism is about.
According to the Aspie World, who is also autistic; he has listed three things to do after your diagnosis.
Outreach: Every country or region has an autism awareness team, a foundation or a charity organisation that is focused on autism and helping autistic people. Find out about places like that and join support groups, because you are new to this, you would need to understand how other autistic people live their daily lives.
Also, join social gatherings, events and talks happening around. He says it opens you up to new relationships, although some of the events may be free or paid, it keeps you from feeling isolated and disabled with your new diagnosis.
Therapy: A lot of people get scared when they hear the word therapy, whether it’s marriage therapy, psychological therapy, etc. I think therapy is helpful and it makes you see things differently and understand yourself better. Find a local councillor or a therapist near you or you can ask your doctor to refer you to one. It’s okay to ask for help and a way to live better with your diagnosis.
Be open: Most people tend to shut down and shut out other people when they get a diagnosis they do not like. Dan advises that you should be open to family and friends, let them know what you are dealing with so that they can either help out or cut you some slack for behaving and acting in a certain way. Autistic people are sensitive to certain things like sound, bright light and have a repetitive behaviour. Knowing that you are now autistic will make them ensure they make things easy and comfortable for you when you are in their homes or even in your own family house. Autistic people don’t like social gatherings or crowded places, so your friends would understand when you turn down outings to certain locations.
-How to support persons with Autism
No two autistic persons have the same characteristics. Although there may be a list of traits, there’s no specific way to manage all autistic persons. Some cases may be mild and not even noticeable, some others may have speech deficiency and trouble communicating. So, if you have someone on the spectrum around you, especially an adult, don’t assume that they would want to be treated in a certain way, always ask them what they want and what they are sensitive to and also food they would like to eat as some of them may have sensitive digestive systems.
Learn to be patient with them, allow them to do things at their pace. Be it talking, that’s for those who can, communicating or expressing themselves, let them do it the way they understand it. Some of them don’t understand facial expressions or may not be able to get your jokes and idioms. Allow them to be themselves while you learn how they process things and interact.
Listen to autistic people: most times it’s the doctors and health practitioners or researchers that tell us how to handle autistic cases and people on the spectrum. Who best to say how to be treated other than the persons living with autism? They say experience is the best teacher, so listen to them and learn what it means to be autistic.
It is said that persons with autism have a shorter lifespan of 54 years but some others live longer than that. Let’s stop seeing autism as a disability, some of them may have special needs, if we care, support and show concern for persons with autism, it will be easier to manage and live normal lives like every other person.
Stop the stigmatisation, understand how best to communicate and reach out to them, be mindful when designing spaces, put the needs of autistic persons in mind when designing commercial and public spaces. See ways you can show support for autism awareness.