Autism, late
How masking broke me
Can masking cause burnout and mental illness? What the research says about autistic camouflaging, and what fifty years of it did to me.
Autism, late
Diagnosed at 50, in 2022. Burnout, masking, the relief and the grief.
Autism, late
Taking off a 50-year mask
How do you stop masking as an autistic adult after decades? What I'm trying, what's gone sideways, and why unmasking is slow on purpose.
Autism, late
What masking is, from a guy who did it for 50 years
What is autistic masking? A plain explanation from someone who masked for 50 years without knowing it, with what the research says it costs.
Autism, late
Burnout or depression? How I learned to tell them apart
Autistic burnout and depression look alike from the outside. The differences that matter, why they need different help, and how I tell them apart.
Autism, late
How long autistic burnout lasts (mine was a COVID breakdown)
How long does autistic burnout last? What the research says (three months or more), what mine looked like, and what actually shortens it.
Autism, late
What autistic burnout actually is
What is autistic burnout? Months of exhaustion, lost skills, and less tolerance for noise and people. Rob Scales explains it, with the research behind it.
Autism, late
Grief and relief after a late autism diagnosis
Is it normal to grieve after a late autism diagnosis? Yes. Rob Scales on the relief, the anger and the grief for lost years after finding out at 50.
Autism, late
Why nobody saw my autism for 50 years
Why are some autistic adults never diagnosed as kids? Old criteria, masking, and louder problems. Rob Scales on how his autism went unseen for 50 years.
Autism, late
Getting an adult autism assessment in Québec
How to get an adult autism assessment in Québec: the free public route through your CLSC, the private psychologist route, waits, costs and what to bring.
Autism, late
How I figured out I was autistic as an adult
How do adults find out they're autistic? Usually after something breaks. Rob Scales on the signs he'd lived with for 50 years and the route to an assessment.
Autism, late
Was getting diagnosed autistic worth it at my age?
Is an autism diagnosis worth it as an adult? Rob Scales, diagnosed at 50, on what it changed, what it didn't, and the honest downsides.
Autism, late
Diagnosed with autism at 50? Yes, that happens
Can you be diagnosed with autism at 50? Yes. Rob Scales found out at 50, mid-breakdown. What an adult assessment involves and where to start.