This is a long and in-depth article, as is typical for me. Others are better at writing snackables. But snacks cannot really explain something or make it understandable in its depth. A topic has to bite into the brain somewhere between the eye and forgetting, and trigger real thinking — unlike TikTok and YouTube Shorts.
From 2012/2016 until today, more than ten years have passed in which I have studied a great deal in the field of autism. What I learned sharpened my perception and my understanding. And I do not look into this as a neurotypical researcher, but as someone who is on the spectrum myself.
In 2016, I had myself diagnosed. By then I was already almost 40 years old.
At 35, I already knew I was on the spectrum. But first I wanted to fully educate myself: What exactly is the autism spectrum? Where am I within it? And what exactly do I want this diagnosis for?
Is it distress? Do I want support through it? And if so: from whom, and for what?
Or is it mainly a scientific confirmation t…
