When considering the events of the past decade I'm almost overwhelmed by the sheer volume of memories and emotional attachments to things I barely spare a moments notice to normally. I find that as I reflect on the ten years that I have lived since my diagnosis in 2009 I almost can't recognise the person I was then, so much has changed. And yet so little has really, core personality and values haven't altered in any fundamental way, just matured and shifted with my growing understanding of the world around me and the solidifying goal of the person I want to be.
My journey to diagnosis was not nearly as long or difficult as a lot of other women's, I was very lucky to be supported so well by my incredible family and have a solid network of friends at the time (to my sorrow these haven't lasted the trials of adulthood and geography). But that doesn't mean it was simple. My journey technically started at 15, got kneecapped at 17 and took until a soul-searching holiday at 20 to recover and start the nearly 2 year process to finally see those immortal words in print "I believe that she does meet the formal diagnostic criteria for an Autistic Disorder" - it's slightly clunky medical terminology but it was from a clinical psychologist and that was what was needed!
I remember vividly the days leading up to the appointment- the terror that clutched at me over not being believed, being called a liar or attention seeking as I had been so many times in childhood. I desperately wanted the validation of the diagnosis (I'm still at scientist at heart and want empirical evidence to support any theory!) but the overwhelming feeling on entering the assessment room was pure fear.
I don't recall much after that. My mother has told me some of what happened as she was in the room with me answering questions about my childhood and reactions to things. I'm told my responses and actions where that of someone trying to hide - curling myself into my chair in an almost foetal position, turning my head away from them and getting very lost in my memories, there were so many that I had buried away. It also took a lot of work from the psychologist to get me to drop my mask and start responding as I would instinctively instead of as I had trained myself to, so many years of masking had made it such an ingrained habit that I was struggling to not edit my responses even though I knew that I needed to show this professional the raw real me if she was going to diagnose me properly.
After the 3 hour appointment was over we travelled the 15 miles home and I went to bed. And stayed there for the next 3 days basically!
Because that was how long I needed in isolation, away from any responsibilities or external inputs to rebuild my walls and shore up my defenses again.
And that’s what I continue to do ten years on, rebuild my defences after a difficult experience in the peace and safety of my own space. Because if there is one thing I’ve learnt over the past ten years, it’s that I need that time to recover and get back to my baselines; if I don’t go through a proper recovery protocol after a negative experience then the damage will build, resulting in a fairly catastrophic breakdown that can take days to even begin to recover from.
But it’s not just negative experiences that need recovering from! Social Hangovers are a part of my life I’ve become used to but they, along with general Autism Fatigue, can still have a large impact on the capacity for me to function in the days following. I’ve learnt over the decade to adapt my expectations of events and how long I can be at them, as well as working out key exit strategies and having different recovery plans based on the type of event in question (ie a night out at a pub will involve a more quiet and sensory plain recovery where as a busy family day event may lead to sensory seeking the next day with a large dose of free flowing rudely-honest commentary aimed at the TV as a result of having had to keep my speech family-friendly all day!)
Its been a long ten years looking back at everything that has happened, both in personal terms and the wider globe! But the more I reflect on what has changed the more I become hopeful for what still has the potential to change, what our world might yet become.
Everything I have learnt over the past ten years can effectively be summed up by two things;
my beloved Saracens values:
"Work Rate, Humility, Discipline, Honesty"
"Always look at what you can do"
After all, who knows what the next ten years hold?!?!
