Why Do People Seem More Autistic After Diagnosis?

I was diagnosed in December 2020 and I’m still searching for the tools to help me

Author plea illustration

A strange thing I’ve noticed: many people feel/seem more autistic after diagnosis. What is it with that?

I was diagnosed at 37, and for me, it was like this: I know what’s going on — finally. I’m autistic. But the world hasn’t got the memo.

Or rather, it has the memo, but it is buried deep under all the other mother-flipping memos.

I have useful knowledge about myself but the obstacles around me remain the same.

Some of those around newly diagnosed autistic people also might observe that we seem ‘worse’ post-diagnosis.

“You were better off before,” they claim (or just think and we sense it, highly sensitive as we are). And it hurts! Because it feels so unfair.

And because we know what they mean.

I did seem better off before I got my diagnosis.

Because before I knew what made me different I hid much more of the struggle. Out of shame and guilt and embarrassment. I thought I ju…