Old Twitter threads - 5000 days of knowing my autistic identity

 Helen Ellis on X: "It's been 5000 days since the most important day of my life, the day my autistic identity was confirmed via a clinical diagnosis. #5000DaysOfKnowingMyAutisticIdentity" / X

Originally published 8:05 PM · Oct 23, 2022

#5000DaysOfKnowingMyAutisticIdentity

It's been 5000 days since the most important day of my life, the day my autistic identity was confirmed via a clinical diagnosis.

I know formal diagnosis isn't for everyone but for me it was such a huge moment of validation, the moment a clinician declared that in their professional opinion it wasn't "all in my head" and I wasn't just "being difficult" all the time.

A lot has changed in the 5,000 days since that moment - I was diagnosed under a Labour government, in the first few weeks of Obama's presidency, and in a time before most of us knew what Twitter was or had a smartphone!

When I had my clinical assessment I was considered a "late diagnosis" at nearly 22 years old. Nowadays I would barely make that criteria if I got diagnosed at my current age of 35!

Because that's how far we have come in the 5,000 days since I got my diagnosis - we know so much more about autistic life now, understand so much more about what makes life better for autistic people.

And I've learnt so much about myself in those 5,000 days. About who I am, how to get the best out of myself, what I truly want from life and what I'm willing to compromise on.

I've let go of things and people I thought I never would, forgiven myself for mistakes that were never my fault, and found new sources of joy to brighten my life - mainly

@Saracens but others too!

I've also circled back round to past joys I'd let go, rediscovering my love of physics & space, taking part in amazing research like Autism in Pink project, and even co-authoring a book on Masking with the brilliant

@SedgewickF

&

@lauralhull

I think it's pretty perfect that I've spent this 'anniversary' of sorts with my best autistic friend and book twin, the incredible

@CarlyJonesMBE, giving her a lift to Bournemouth so she can do important work for

@Autism

Because that's the true beauty of autistic friendship, when your spiky profiles allow you to support each other in times of need and challenge

I have no idea what the next 5,000 minutes hold much less the next 5,000 days but I do know that I'm going to keep moving forward (even if it's sometimes in a sideways manner), keep celebrating my Autistic Joys and keep aiming for that Moon!