How is autism actually treated? You hear people saying the diagnosis changed their kids life or it’s important to be diagnosed early, but how?
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You treat the unique symptoms and conditions that person goes through.
Being diagnosed at any age means having an understanding of how you operate and how best to navigate life.
Autistic people (myself included) are considered neurodivergent or alternative minds. This really means that we use our minds and bodies differently than most people expect us to.
Sometimes it can be something that needs attention, like a walking pattern that needs physical therapy or it will cause injuries in ankles and knees, or speech or social therapy to help with talking and social muscles. Some people respond to anti anxiety medications, because autism often brings anxiety and depression.
For me, understanding that I operate differently than other people means I stop trying to hold myself to a standard of being human that doesn’t apply to me. Doesn’t mean I don’t have goals and a job and a spouse and friends and all the things a lot of people dream of, it just means that what that looks like for me and how I get there doesn’t fit a typical checkbox nuclear family.
Also, kids have access to funds and programs that adults do not. If someone is diagnosed later in life they may miss a chance to access a lot of tools and help, because it’s designed towards kids.
We often fail adults with autism and assume we aren’t walking among you, or potentially be you.
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