'I Was Diagnosed With Autism at 44'

After her son's autism diagnosis, this mom realised she was struggling with the same issues

- By Nasifa Sulaiman

For as long as she could remember, she'd felt different. Her emotions were always intense. She was anxious a lot of the time. She struggled “massively” at school. But it wasn't until her son was diagnosed with autism that Wendy Bowley thought, “Maybe that's what I'm experiencing too.

The similarities between the things she and her son struggled with seemed like too much of a coincidence. “The shyness, the uncertainty, the strong emotions - I could just identify with him and his struggles” she says.

It's been two years since Wendy was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and finally having an explanation for her struggles is a relief. She can be kinder towards herself now, she says.

“I always felt like I was different, that I didn't fit in, Wendy (46) tells YOU. “But I never would have thought it was autism if it wasn't for my son's diagnosis. There's such a lack of understanding about autism. The perception is that it has to be really bad for you to be diagnosed but that's actually inaccurate”

ASD is a condition related to brain development and affects a person's ability to communicate and interact.

Paediatric neurologist Dr Adri Van Der Walt says people with autism process information differently.

“People with autism also struggle to express themselves. They take things extremely literally and can be extremely rigid Van der Walt says.

“So, for them, things are black and white – there's no grey area. But they are not all the same. It presents differently in different patients.